


The Purrfect Catch

by CassondraWinchester, lotrspnfangirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Dean's best friend is a cat, Dean/Cas Big Bang 2019 (Supernatural), Fluff, Knotting, M/M, Magic, Mating Bites, Mutual Pining, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), Pining, Rimming, Romantic Comedy, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-21 03:54:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21293213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CassondraWinchester/pseuds/CassondraWinchester, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotrspnfangirl/pseuds/lotrspnfangirl
Summary: Alpha Dean Winchester is surprised to see a newspaper ad written by his neighbor, Omega Castiel Novak, requesting potential Alpha mates. The challenge is simple on the surface: the Alpha who can obtain the single key from Novak cat’s neck, will be Castiel’s new mate. The cat spends a good amount of time lounging on Dean’s porch, though Dean’s half convinced its only for the snacks he feeds him. Dean isn’t the kind of Alpha Castiel wants, but at least Dean can enjoy watching Alpha after Alpha chase after the feline in the hopes of winning Castiel’s heart.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 143
Kudos: 1296
Collections: DCBB 2019, The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	1. The Purrfect Challenge

**Author's Note:**

> Holy Moly, another Big Bang!! Thank you, first and foremost, to Muse and Diamond for running this challenge again. Seriously, you guys do amazing ♥
> 
> Huge thanks to our fantastic artist, [mere-mortifer](https://mere-mortifer.tumblr.com)! The art captured our vision perfectly! We couldn't be happier ♥ Everyone should check out the masterpost [here](https://mere-mortifer.tumblr.com/post/188811575481/im-very-excited-to-post-the-first-drawing-i-did) (and the NSFW [here](https://mere-mortifer.tumblr.com/post/188811643706/this-ones-naughty-someone-pls-cover-the-staffs)) and leave all of the love! Its well deserved!! 
> 
> Shout out to our beta, Annalea for making sure everything ran through nice and smooth. And huge thanks to Far_to_the_north for reading along as we went through and giving her insight! 
> 
> Cas and I were wary after our first experience writing, but I am so glad we took this on! As always, we had a blast writing this. When Cas brought up the idea? We knew this was what we wanted to go with, and we found ourselves laughing as we went through various scenes. After a hard year, this was the first thing we've written together and man, it was nice to get back on the horse!
> 
> And, because I am still slightly offended Cas shot me down.... The summary I wanted (and was denied because Cas hates me lol): Dean likes pussy, just not the kind your thinking of. Castiel is a cool cat.

Dean stretched, yawning wide as he opened his eyes to the sun pouring in through his bedroom windows. It had been a long time since he’d taken a Sunday off, and even longer since he’d slept past the sunrise. He smiled as he reached down and scratched his stomach, giving himself a few minutes to just _be_ before he forced himself out of bed.

The coffee pot had already done its thing, and he was glad he’d put coffee grounds into it the night before, despite wishing he’d set it to brew at eight instead of four. He touched the side of the pot - it was lukewarm at best. But, it was his day off, so he poured a large mug and gave it a zap in the microwave before heading to the front porch.

He bent down to pick up the morning paper and walked across the porch to the patio loveseat and sank down, kicking his bare feet up onto the ottoman and placing his mug down on the side table.

“What's going on in Cottonwood today…” he mumbled to himself as he opened the paper and shook it out, scanning the first page for something to catch his eye.

Richard, the town’s barber, was doing a cut and shave special, and Dean filed that away. The law firm was looking to hire another lawyer on, and as much as he would love his little brother to live closer than Chicago, Sammy was cut out for way more than a small town could offer. Rita down the street was throwing a yard sale this morning for the local assisted living, and there were four baby announcements, two engagements, and a McDonald’s coming to the far end of Main Street.

He flipped to the personal ads, knowing he could sometimes pick up a few side jobs for his business, and stopped short. There, in the center of babysitting ads and people selling their cars, was bold lettering depicting **_Alpha Wanted_**. Although it wasn’t necessarily a strange thing to see dating requests in the personal ads, what was weird was that it was asking for a potential mate _and_ was written by Castiel Novak, the most sought after Omega in town. Not only that, he was _also_ Dean’s neighbor.

Dean’s eyes widened and he found himself looking up, turning nearly completely around to look at his neighbor’s house. It was quiet, only Castiel’s sleek black cat was lounging in the sun on the front walk, flicking its tail every few minutes. He didn’t know what to make of it. In the two years since Castiel bought the ranch on the other side of Dean’s home, the Omega had been friendly but _very_ private. Dean could count on one hand the amount of times they’d had a real conversation and he’d learned something about the other man.

He liked Cas, though. Not only was the Omega gorgeous – which, Dean’s an Alpha, of _course_ he noticed – but he was kind and funny. He went to work every day to work with kids under the age of five who haven’t learned how to use a toilet appropriately yet! That, in itself, meant Castiel should be given every brownie point in existence.

Dean sank back into the seat and turned his attention back to the ad, reading what Castiel was looking for.

**Cottonwood Falls, KS - Alpha Wanted!!** _I am Castiel Novak and I have decided my time has come to take a mate. But, not just any Alpha will do. I am seeking one who is clever and kind, one that is up for a challenge. Between the hours of 5pm to 8pm, Monday to Friday, my cat will be roaming freely in my yard. He will be wearing a collar with a key to my house on the ring around his throat. If an Alpha can remove the key - keeping the safety of my cat in mind - they are given permission to open my front door and I will take them as my Alpha. Under no circumstances will I accept an Alpha outside of these hours or outside of this situation. To those who are going to participate, I wish you luck._

Dean read the ad once more, then snorted, tossing the paper onto the ottoman by his feet. He waited another moment, thinking, before he turned again and his eyes found the cat. The cat had shifted slightly, its head raised, and was looking right at Dean. If the cat had been human, Dean _swore_ he would’ve had his eyebrows raised in a challenge.

Dean held his gaze for another moment before he broke their impromptu staring contest and went back to his coffee. Well, his weeknights were going to get a hell of a lot more interesting.

  


Dean stomped up his front steps, already unbuttoning his flannel and pulling it from his arms. God, today sucked. Not only was it hot as Satan’s taint – thank you, Jo – but their riding mower had broken, taking Ash out of commission nearly the entire day to fix it while Dean had to push mow the Country Club. Thankfully they took pity on him and didn’t ask him to do the actual course, accepting his promise to do it Wednesday morning first thing instead.

Mondays sucked normally, but _this_ Monday took the goddamn cake. He kicked his boots off on the porch, then let himself inside to shower and change into basketball shorts and a tee shirt. There was no way in hell he was cooking, so he ordered a pizza and took a bottle of beer with him back out onto the porch.

There was a commotion going on in the front yard next door and he looked over as he sank down onto the patio couch, sitting sideways so he could rest his legs across it and look comfortably over at the neighbor’s house.

Well, this certainly made his Monday better. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten about Castiel’s ad!

A man in a pressed, sharp business suit was getting out of his black Bentley Flying Spur, his expression intense and focused. Arthur Ketch. Dean rolled his eyes as he watched the pompous Alpha shake a bag of treats at the cat who was laying on the porch railing paying him absolutely no attention. Arthur shook the bag even harder as he stepped up the sidewalk.

Dean took a sip of his beer. He really hoped the cat was too smart to fall for a bag of dollar store treats. Seriously? Ketch couldn’t even spring for the good stuff! Dean knew for a fact the dude had money, he also knew he was as cheap as they came. The one and only time Dean had done landscaping for the man, Ketch had spent the entire time hitting on Jo and trying to talk Dean down to half the price.

Cas _definitely_ deserved better the Ketch.

“Here kitty, kitty, kitty,” Arthur cooed as he stepped closer, pausing at the bottom step. He poured a mound of treats into his hand and held it out to the cat. “Come here you stupid cat,” the Alpha sing-songed sweetly.

The black cat yawned and stretched before sauntering over to Arthur. He sniffed at the treats once and Dean held his breath, waiting to see what the cat would do. The cat leaned even closer and promptly bit the Alpha’s finger. Arthur ripped his hand back, flinging the treats in the air as he yelped and examined his hand. The cat completely ignored the commotion and leapt down from the railing to go find a nice spot to lay in the sun.

Dean let out a loud laugh, biting it back as Arthur turned to glare at him. The other Alpha looked furious as he yelled over, “Why don’t _you_ give it a try, Winchester?”

Dean laughed again and raised his beer in a toast. “No, I think I’m good over here. Good try though! I think you _almost_ had it!”

Dean watched Arthur slink back to his expensive car with a scowl on his face and Dean didn’t try to hide his smile as he watched Ketch speeding away.

Smart cat.

Dean stayed on the porch, even sitting there with his pizza box after it was delivered, to see if there would be anything else to watch. There was only one other suitor that night, one of the town’s lawyers, Gadreel. He was still dressed up in his suit and tie and was also foiled with the treat-trick. At least the lawyer had been able to dish out for quality treats, and Dean nodded as the Alpha left, seeing the man had left the treats behind in a neat pile on the bottom step for the cat the moment the clock struck eight.

As he stood to stretch, the cat jumped back up onto the railing and looked over with his head slightly cocked to watch Dean.

“Thanks for the entertainment, buddy,” Dean called over to it as he picked up his trash and took everything inside. It was early, but Dean had to get up at three tomorrow morning to get a head start on paperwork. If he finished it early, he would be able to start with the sun to make up for the lawns they were unable to get to today.

Plus, it would ensure he got out of work on time tomorrow to sit on the porch and watch what happened next door.

  


By Friday evening, Dean was sitting with his dinner and a sweet tea on the porch, ready for tonight's adventurous Alphas to try their hand at cat-catching. He hadn’t eaten a single dinner inside at his table the entire week, this shit was just too good to pass up!

Dean was enjoying his Chinese food as a woman in a black backless dress entered Cas’ yard. Amara Swallow. He sighed and took a gulp of his sweet tea. That woman was evil incarnate, an air of darkness and misfortune followed her wherever she went. Dean made it a personal mission to stay the hell away from that Alpha: she was bad news. He watched as Amara held out a wand with a long leopard print string attached to it, flicking it back and forth as she walked.

“Hey, kitty cat,” she called out.

The cat licked its lips and grumbled before abandoning it’s stoop to see what was going on. Dean watched as he sidled up to her and batted at the string. After a few minutes, Amara moved to kneel, but the cat jumped back, eyeing her warily. “It’s okay,” she promised as she paused in her movements and shook the string again. “You can trust me.”

“Yeah right,” Dean muttered, eyes narrowing. The cat cocked his head to the side as if assessing her.

“Come on!” She jiggled the string again. Apparently, now bored with her, the cat turned and started back towards the porch.

“Don’t!” she yelled, making Dean jump. “Don’t you _dare_ turn your back on me you stupid cat!” She moved to swat at the cat with the plastic wand. The cat jumped and scampered off, running to the back of the house, but Dean was not giving her the chance to run after it.

“Hey!” he shouted, standing up and moving to the side of the loveseat to lean over his own porch railing. “What the hell was that? You can’t hit the cat! I think he made it clear you weren’t welcome here, so why don’t you take yourself off of Cas’ property?”

“Why don’t you mind your own damn business, little Alpha?” She placed her hands on her hips. “I’m gonna get that damn key even if I have to wring that cat’s neck to do so.” She flashed her incisors at him as she marched off towards the backyard after the cat.

“Son of a bitch,” Dean muttered under his breath, moving quickly across the porch and down his steps. He looked at Cas’ front door, hoping to see the Omega making his way outside to tell the bitch off himself, but the windows were dark. Hell, Dean didn’t even know if Cas was home right now.

He followed after Amara, the woman screaming profanities out in the backyard. “Jesus Christ,” Dean swore as he came around the corner, seeing Amara with the plastic wand raised and the cat, wide eyed and terrified, running away from her.

“Amara! Stop!” Dean yelled, jogging forward. She whipped the toy through the air, the whistling sound of it making Dean wince. He reached down and scooped up the cat in both arms just as the plastic wand whipped across his shoulder.

“Fuck!” Dean yelled, the stinging immediate, though if he hadn’t gotten in the way it would’ve beaned the cat. He fully expected to get a chest full of claws, but the cat was burrowed into his arms, its heart beating rapidly against Dean’s forearm. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Give me the cat,” Amara demanded with outstretched arms. “Give me that damn cat!” she repeated in a guttural growl.

“Like hell!” Dean fired back, twisting out of her reach and walking back towards the front of the house. He found himself petting what he _hoped_ was comforting pats over the cat’s head and back, though because of his allergies, he would most likely be waking up with swollen eyes and unable to breathe in the morning. He tried not to think about it.

“Fuck the cat!” she countered as she held out her hand. “Keep it! Just give me that damn key.”

Dean paused, shifting the cat in his arms to look down at his watch. He found himself smirking and looked up to meet Amara’s dark, soulless eyes. “Sorry, its 8:06. Looks like you missed your opportunity.”

For a moment, Dean thought she was going to smack him with the cat toy again. Her eyes burned into his before she hissed a frustrated breath through her teeth. “No Omega is worth _this_ amount of trouble,” Amara snarled as she stomped off.

“Don’t listen to her,” Dean mumbled to the cat, scratching behind its ears. The key and collar jangled as Dean’s fingers brushed against it and he felt the cat stiften and start to squirm in his grasp. “Alright, alright, don’t hurt yourself,” he said as he lowered the cat down, watching as it ran forward a few feet before stopping and turning back to look at him.

Dean raised an eyebrow and met the cat’s sharp gaze. “You’re welcome,” he said, smirking as the cat twitched it’s tail in what he figured was thanks. “Next time you see someone like her? Do everyone a favor - me, yourself, and your dad in there - and just go through that damn cat door. No one wants someone like _that_ for a mate.”

The cat flicked its tail once more, then started licking its front paw and cleaning himself. Dean tried not to think he was cleaning _Dean_ off of his fur because, honestly, what a ridiculous thought. Dean snorted and looked down, groaning as he saw his shirt was covered in a fine layer of black cat hair.

“Alright, Cat,” he said as he started to walk forward, the cat freezing and eyeing him warily. “Go on inside, I’m sure it's past your dinner time.” Dean let out a sigh and looked down at his shirt again as he muttered, “A shower and overdose of Benadryl is in my future, thanks to you.”

He waved at the cat, then laughed at himself. It’s not like the cat considered him a damn _friend_. Waving at a cat. Jesus Christ. He was still laughing at himself as he made his way back to his front porch and entered the house.

  


Dean sang along to the outdoor radio playing Pink Floyd as he shut the lid of the grill and hung the tongs on the side. After a week of takeout, an _actual_ meal was in order, and he’d picked up a healthy pound of steak tips from the deli in their house marinade. His mouth had been watering since he’d gone through the checkout. He had a few potatoes wrapped in foil on the back of the grill ready to go as soon as the meat was, and he’d even picked up a fresh pre-made salad (so suck on that, Sammy!).

He dropped back down on the edge of his picnic table and leaned back, picking up his beer to take a sip. Sure, he’d made enough food to feed two, maybe even three people, but that just meant he would be having the best breakfast _ever_ in the morning.

He snorted to himself and found himself looking over to Castiel’s house, his eyes scanning what he could see of the front and the backyard for signs of the cat. He didn’t see him, but he _did_ see his neighbor. He sat up straighter when he realized Castiel was walking towards him.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel smiled as he stopped a few feet from the Alpha, “I just wanted to thank you for saving my cat from that awful woman.” He sighed as he scuffed his shoe across the brick of the patio. “I was in the shower when I heard the commotion, and by the time I got dressed, you already had the situation under control. But yeah,” Castiel blushed and shifted side to side nervously, “I just wanted to say thank you.”

Dean smiled, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck and giving a shrug. “It’s really no big deal,” he answered, glancing up to meet Cas’ eyes. The Omega held his gaze for a moment before blushing even more and looking away. “I’m sure if I had a pet, you would’ve done the same for me. I figured you were held up and I wasn’t going to let her hurt the cat.” Dean paused, then placed his beer down on the table. “Speaking of, where’s the lil’ devil?”

“Oh, he’s inside… probably sleeping in the sun on the padded window seat in front of my bay window.” Castiel huffed a small laugh and shook his head. “You know how cats love their naps, especially in the sun.”

Dean nodded slowly, then furrowed his brow. “You know,” he started, glancing up at Cas again, “I am actually deathly allergic to cats. I haven’t really interacted with them since I was a kid… but… I woke up just fine this morning, your cat didn’t seem to bother me at all.” Dean had even woken up to find hair in his bed, despite his shower and changing his clothes as soon as he got into the house. Pet hair was seriously a bitch.

“He’s a special breed.” Castiel shoved his hands in his pockets and he rocked back on his heels. “My brother Lucifer, like you, is also deathly allergic. I bought him from a breeder about an hour from here who specializes in breeding hypoallergenic cats. A dose of any allergy medicine before or even after someone comes over is enough to do the trick! It's like they were never even around a cat.”

“Huh,” Dean said, nodding his head again. “Well, that sounds about right. I took some Benadryl before I went to sleep last night and woke up just fine. I didn’t even know they made hypoallergenic cats that weren’t furless or something.”

“The mechanics of breeding are quite fascinating.” Castiel cleared his throat and gave Dean a shy smile as he sniffed the air and nodded towards the grill. “Smell good. I should go and let you enjoy your meal.” He gave the Alpha a small wave as he turned to leave.

Dean stared after him for a moment, a pang of regret twisting in his stomach, before he found himself saying, “You know, there’s plenty of food, if you haven’t eaten yet.” Then he held his breath. They were friendly, of course, but they weren’t _friends_, were they?

Castiel paused in his movements and turned to face Dean, a hopeful expression on his face. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to crash your dinner.”

Dean bit back the smile and shrugged casually instead. “No, it wouldn’t be crashing! Please, join me. Otherwise I’ll be sitting out here, enjoying the evening all by myself.”

“Now that would be a shame,” Castiel replied, blushing at the unintentional insinuation. He stammered out a quick explanation, “I just mean it's such a lovely evening and would be a shame to spend it alone.”

Dean chuckled, pushing up off of the picnic table and crossing behind Cas to the grill. He flipped the tongs in the air and caught them, silently sending up a prayer of thanks that he didn’t make himself look like a dumbass by flinging them straight into the dirt. He pulled the steak and potatoes off, piling them high on the plate and turning around to hand it to Cas. “Let me run in and get another set up and the salad. Do you want a beer? I also have tea and coke.”

“Whatever you’re having will be fine,” Castiel responded as he took the plate from Dean and moved to place it in the center of the picnic table. “Would you like me to help with anything else?”

“No, I got it,” Dean answered, giving the Omega a reassuring smile before turning towards the house. As soon as he shut the door behind him, his stomach flipped in anticipation. It was stupid, of course. Castiel had put an ad out in the paper and a little quest, of sorts, to find a mate, so he wasn’t interested in the Alpha next door, obviously. But it didn’t stop the hopeful little flutter in his stomach at the idea that this sort of, kind of, presented itself as a _date_.

He pushed the thought away and went to the fridge, pulling out the salad, dressing, and another two beers, before grabbing a plate, fork, and knife for Castiel. As he started back outside, the thought hit him again as he saw Castiel sitting calmly on the end of the picnic table, his face upturned to what was left of the sun, and smiling softly.

God, the Omega was gorgeous. Dean suddenly realized he’d never spent more than five minutes in the other man’s presence, only ever gone about passing back and forth a greeting or two. Now there the Omega sat, waiting for Dean, like this was a date… or maybe the start of a friendship? He tried not to feel disappointed at that, because friends were damn good to have around, too.

Hell, maybe Dean needed to put his own ad in the paper for a mate…

“Alright,” he cleared his throat, making his presence known and smiling as Castiel blinked in the sun and looked over at him, “I hope you like Italian… it’s all I have for dressing.”

“That’s perfect. Here,” Castiel stood and walked over to Dean. “Let me help, you have your hands quite full.” He stared in awe at the balancing act the Alpha was somehow pulling off. Castiel took the beers, bowl of salad, and dressing from Dean’s arms and placed it on the table before sitting back down. “I don’t see how you managed to carry all that. I would’ve dropped it all long before I even made it to the door.”

Dean laughed and reached over the table to put down Castiel’s plate and silverware, then sat down across from him. “I must have been a waiter in another life or something.”

Castiel laughed back and shook his head. “You know, I tried waiting tables for a little extra money when I was in college.” He paused as he smoothed his napkin in his lap. “I was fired halfway through my _first_ shift. I spilled a whole tray of beers on someone, dropped six trays filled with food, and as I was serving one table, the spaghetti on the tray slid off and covered the man at the table behind me. Once that happened, the owner called me to the kitchen and instantly fired me…” He shook his head again as he smiled at Dean. “The owner was my older brother, Gabriel. You know you suck when your _own family_ fires you.”

“Oh man,” Dean bobbed his head in sympathy and tried to hide his smile. “Yeah, I have never hired my younger brother to help me with my business, but it would take a lot for me to have to fire him. If it makes you feel better, I bet most people would’ve been fired after their first three trays, nevermind six, the beer, _and_ a plate of spaghetti.”

Castiel threw his head back and laughed, grinning as he shook his head from side to side. “Gabe said pretty much the same thing.”

“It’s the big brother in us,” Dean commented, reaching forward to serve them up each a generous helping of steak and a potato. “We have the same, awesome minds.”

Castiel rolled his eyes, “And the same amount of modesty.”

“Naturally!” Dean beamed back, finding himself relaxing in Castiel’s company. Castiel opened up the salad while Dean ran back inside for butter and sour cream. While he was grabbing the stuff from the fridge, Dean hoped the Omega felt as comfortable over here in his presence as he appeared.

They started to eat in silence; Dean had always been impressed with his own grilling ability, but today he found himself nervous, wondering what Castiel thought. That is until Castiel told him...

“This is the _best_ steak I’ve ever had!”

Dean felt himself blush and he busied himself with shoving a bite into his mouth so he didn’t come out with some half-cocked answer about giving Castiel his meat or something equally embarrassing.

“So,” Castiel wiped his mouth and took a sip of his beer before asking, “how's work been? You do landscaping and lawn maintenance, correct?”

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, pressing his fork into his potato and watching the skin split, “I own Simple Life Services. We’re kind of a jack of all trades type of business. Things have been going good though! I even just hired on a kid in high school for the summer and weekends, as long as he’s doing well in school. We also got contracted this summer for the golf course, so I’m hoping they like us enough to make us long term.”

“I’m sure they will.” Castiel smiled at him as he cut up his second serving of steak. “I’ve seen how much care and hard work you put into your own lawn, so I can only imagine how much you put into others.”

Dean felt himself flush again and he looked down at his plate. “Uh, thanks Cas. That means a lot.”

His dad thought the whole ‘lawn-care thing’ was for rich people or people who _wished_ they were rich people. The front of the Winchester house growing up was always potted plants they got from relatives, various toys from Sammy and Dean, and cars in multiple stages of repair from the home shop John ran. John had come to Dean’s house once and had immediately scoffed at how the grass was mowed in a pattern. Dean had spent the rest of the summer ignoring his own lawn after that, but had thankfully shaken off that gloom for the coming season.

“Your yard isn’t doing too bad itself,” he added, glancing up. “I got a close up look when I went barreling into your backyard after the cat and Amara.”

“Thank you,” Castiel replied humbly. “I have always enjoyed gardening. It’s kind of a hobby of mine.”

“Well you’re doing a great job,” Dean answered honestly, warming at the wide smile he got in response. “How about your work? How’re the rugrats?”

“They are a handful, but it's worth it.” Dean didn’t miss the way Castiel’s entire face lit up as he spoke about the kids in his care. “They love learning new things, but they especially love art hour.” Castiel snorted and shook his head. “It’s because of the glitter. I swear, I find glitter _everywhere_. I find glitter in places it should _never_ be. But I love my job and wouldn’t trade it for any other.”

Dean chuckled and nodded his head. “It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you love it. And the fact that you love doin’ one of the hardest jobs there is? Well, I applaud you for that. You’re doing awesome.”

“Well then,” Castiel held up his beer and waited for Dean to clank his against it, “here's to us doing what we love and being awesome at it.”

“Here’s to us.” Dean winked and lifted his bottle, clinking them together and taking a sip. They ate the rest of their meal chatting about various things from work and about the cat until Dean brought up the subject of the ad.

“You know, I’ve been enjoying watching the various… suitors, trying to entice your cat.” He smiled and glanced up, sipping his beer as he studied Castiel’s face. “It’s an interesting concept for finding a mate…”

“It is…” Castiel hummed as he picked at the label of his beer bottle. For a moment, Dean thought he wasn’t going to say anything else, but then Cas cleared his throat and continued, “I don’t want just any Alpha, you see. The Alpha that I _choose_ to mate needs to be many things. He has to be kind, caring, and cunning enough to beguile my cat. My cat is an excellent judge of character and anyone that is able to remove the key from his collar, well, I _know_ they will make a good Alpha.”

Dean clicked his tongue once, watching Cas’ fingers as they pulled apart the label. It made sense, to a point. But… “What if the Alpha who wins over your cat is all of those things, is kind and caring, is cunning and maybe even attractive, but… you don’t like him? What happens then?”

“Well,” Castiel gave Dean a cut nod, his brow furrowed in a way Dean could tell he was thinking of how to answer, “my cat is very clever in his own right. He’s very perceptive and I trust in him not to allow someone that wasn’t compatible with me to get that key. So, I guess you could say that I have the utmost faith in him to find me the perfect Alpha.”

Dean nodded, then shook his head. “Well, I suppose at the very least he will weed out people who can’t be near cats, then you don’t have to worry about some asshole demanding you get rid of your pet.”

“Definitely,” Castiel agreed as he downed the rest of his beer. “He and I are a package deal.”

Dean smiled and finished his own drink, leaning back on the bench seat and rubbing his stomach. “Man, that was good,” he commented, smiling as Castiel agreed eagerly. Together, they’d managed to devour all of the steak except for a small piece and all four of the baked potatoes. Most of the salad was gone, too, much to Dean’s surprise. The sun was starting to set and regretfully, Dean had to work early in the morning. “Thank you for comin’ over to eat with me.”

“Thank you for having me, Dean.” Castiel grinned coyly as he moved to stand up and throw away his beer bottle into the glass recycling bin positioned against the back of Dean’s house. “I’ve enjoyed your company. Is there anything I can do to help with clean up?”

“No, I’ll just throw everything in the dishwasher and call it a night.” Dean smiled at him and started to stack the plates. “I hope you have a good rest of your night, Cas.”

Castiel nodded to him and gave a small wave before walking back around the low fence splitting their land and into his house. Dean wasn’t even ashamed to admit he watched him until he was out of sight before going into his own house. He put everything away and rinsed all of the plates before shoving them into the dishwasher and starting it up. Then he spotted the small piece of steak still on the counter on a piece of foil.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and went back outside to sit on the back steps. He looked over at Cas’ yard, trying to spot the cat. It wasn’t right that the cat had a stressful week dealing with douchebags and didn’t get to relax with a good ol’ steak like Dean and Cas had.

Dean was about to give up and eat the piece himself when he saw something black dart across the backyard. He smiled as he watched the cat for a moment, then started clicking his tongue at it. He sounded stupid, not at all like someone trying to call a cat, but it did the job and the cat stopped chasing whatever it was after and turned to look at him.

“Come here, buddy,” he called out, holding up the steak. “You deserve a treat better than that ol’ bug.”

The cat flicked his tail to and fro a look of contemplation on his features as he studied Dean and the piece of meat held between his fingers. After another moment of thought he pranced over to the Alpha and sat down at his feet, staring up at him expectantly.

Dean waited another moment before he snorted and tossed it forward a few inches, just landing at the cat’s paws. “I see how it is,” Dean said as he watched the cat start to tear it apart with his teeth, the sound of him purring was louder than the cicadas. “You save a guy, and he still won’t let you scratch him behind the ears.”

The cat licked his chops as he swallowed the last bite of steak. He looked up at Dean with big blue eyes as he pawed at his shoe. Dean reached down to pet him, but the cat jerked back a few steps, cocking his head to look up at the human.

“No more steak,” Dean said with a shrug, realizing the cat was asking for more treats. “Don’t worry though, you don’t have to be scared of me. Consent is a thing, buddy. I won’t pet you unless you want me to. You know, or I’m saving your furry ass.”

The cat meowed as he stretched, his back arching and his tail swishing. He gave Dean one final calculating look before disappearing from his yard. The Alpha watched the cat and only turned to go inside once he saw him go through the cat door, into the safety of his house.

“Night then,” Dean called to the empty air and smiled as he went back inside.

  


Monday night’s suitor was Dean’s favorite so far.

“Charlie, what the hell are you doing?” Dean yelled over, snorting as his best friend raised her hand to flip him off and went back to building… well, Dean didn’t know _what_ she was building.

He watched her for another moment, her long red hair a curtain that hid both her face and what her hands were doing. Then he called out, “You know you’re not an Alpha, right? You don’t even swing that way!”

“Obvs, Dean!” Charlie called back, swiping her hair over her shoulder and turning her head to look at him with excitement in her eyes. “But when have I ever backed down from a quest?”

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes, going inside to get himself a cold coke. When he came back out, Charlie’s creation was built.

It was an honest to God, Bear Grylls deadfall trap, though instead of heavy wood it was made from hollow plastic pipe and lined with a hot pink fabric.

“What the shit, Charlie?!”

Charlie stood up and dusted off her pants, beaming as she looked over at Dean. “What? Isn’t it awesome! The pipes are light enough that even if they land on him, it won’t hurt him. And for extra protection I padded it with that god awful scarf your brother’s wife made me last year.”

Dean blinked, then walked off his deck to check out Charlie’s handiwork.

“You sure it won’t hurt him?” Dean asked, bending down to check it out closer.

“Positive,” she agreed, glancing down at her watch. “Now get out of here, can’t have them thinking _you’re_ the smart Alpha.”

“You’re not a damn Alpha,” Dean argued back, but made his way over to his yard. He watched as Charlie opened a can of Albacore tuna and placed it beneath the trap, rolling his eyes as she crouched down behind Cas’ mailbox.

They didn’t have to wait long before the cat slunk out of the cat door and meandered down the front steps, sniffing at the air. His ears and tail perked up and Dean was amazed to see the cat trotting over to the trap.

“If Charlie wins this crap…” Dean muttered to himself, though couldn’t deny she would be the best potential mate he’d seen yet, even though she wasn’t an Alpha, or into dudes. And that right there was really saying something about all those other probable suitors.

The cat walked around the trap, sniffing the pipes. He cocked his head and sniffed the air, finding Charlie behind the mailbox. Then he jumped up on top of the trap, effectively flattening it before he jumped down and started meowing at the pile.

“You smarty pants!” Charlie laughed, coming out of ‘hiding’. Dean was shocked when the cat just meowed again and slinked around her legs, allowing her to reach down to scratch his ears and back before freeing the food from beneath the trap.

She stayed there to pet him for a few more minutes, the cat slinking around her once more before meowing and asking to be picked up. Charlie laughed as she scooped him up, rubbing his belly before the cat bopped her on the nose with his paw.

“Good luck, little friend,” she said as she kissed his head and dropped him back down to finish his prize. She carried her trap over and plopped down in the grass beside Dean.

“Dude,” Dean said, looking at Charlie with wide eyes. “He let you pet him. You… could’ve won!”

Charlie rolled her own and tossed the broken trap into his lap. “No, dumbass. I’m not an Alpha as you pointed out a million times. I was just doing it for fun, and he knew that. I’m not a threat, nor am I a potential mate.”

“You’re both ridiculous,” Dean said and stuck his tongue out as the cat turned around and showed him his butt.

“You’re so gonna win the challenge by insulting the cat,” Charlie said calmly, and Dean nudged her shoulder.

“I’m not participating,” Dean answered softly, shrugging as Charlie eyed him. He sighed at her unspoken question. “I sure as hell am not what Cas is looking for, Charlie. And it’s okay,” he interrupted her, pushing up from the ground and grabbing his beer from the railing, “the entertainment this provides is good enough for me.”

He didn’t wait for her response as he went back inside.

  


Dean parked the Impala in the driveway, reaching into the back of his jeans to pull out his phone and check it for messages. He had a few from Ash and one from Jo, all of them updating him on where they were at.

As if she were capable of reading his mind, his phone buzzed with another text from Jo.

_We’re good, Boss. Enjoy your day OFF_.

He rolled his eyes at her and didn’t respond, shoving the phone back into his pocket as he got out of the car. It felt weird not to be working on a Wednesday, but he’d had a doctor’s appointment that morning and had shifted their schedules so it was manageable for Jo, Ash, and Kevin to do on their own.

Still, it felt weird not to be heading out to where they were at and sharing the workload with them. Maybe he could catch up on some payroll…

He was contemplating what to do with the rest of his day when he heard a commotion from next door. Dean looked up and saw Castiel’s garage door was open and, along with the sounds of things crashing, the Omega started swearing.

Dean pocketed his keys and walked across Castiel’s driveway, peeking his head into the garage to see Castiel standing on an _extremely_ old step stool, pulling gardening tools down from the top of a metal rack. There was a bucket of tools spread out across the concrete floor and Dean started picking them up as he walked into the garage.

“Need help?” he asked, picking up the bucket and dropping the handheld spade and trowel into it. “Before it’s you taking a tumble and not a bucket?”

“Jesus Christ!” Castiel gasped as he jumped and the stool wobbled dangerously. Dean jumped forward, dropping the bucket and making the tools scatter across the floor again in favor of reaching up and catching the Omega. He pressed a hand to the small of Castiel’s back and his thigh, helping him to balance. Castiel’s breathing was ragged as he pressed a hand to his chest. “Hello, Dean,” he let out a shaky laugh as he looked down and met the Alpha’s eyes, “you scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” Dean answered honestly, giving him a small, sheepish shrug. The movement made him hyper aware of how close he was to Castiel, and how he was still holding on to him. “I, uh, didn’t want you to fall.”

“Thank you,” Castiel’s gaze flickered down to Dean’s hands and the Omega started to blush. He drew his bottom lip into his mouth and gave the Alpha a shy smile. “Care to help me down?”

Dean nodded quickly, removing his hand from the back of Castiel’s thigh to hold up for him to grab. The moment Castiel’s hand slid into his, Dean felt himself holding his breath, and he found he had to force himself to release the Omega as soon as his feet were on the ground instead of pulling him in close against his chest. He cleared his throat as he stepped back, looking up at the metal rack so his eyes wouldn’t betray what he was thinking.

“Do you need anything up there still?”

“Yeah,” Castiel nodded as he glared at the top shelf, then looked to Dean, “my favorite cultivator is up there and it's in the back against the wall. You think you could..?” he trailed off and his eyes flicked back up to the top shelf.

“Of course!” Dean answered, stepping back a few steps so he could see where the tool was before repositioning the stool. “Spot me?” he asked and Castiel nodded, moving behind him as Dean stepped onto the stool. Dean pressed up onto his tip toes, reaching forward until he felt the cool handle. “You know,” he said as he dragged it forward, cursing as one of the prongs got stuck in the shelf, “when’s your birthday? We’re getting you a new step stool.”

“August.” Castiel snorted as he held out his hands ready to catch Dean if the rickety stool gave way. “I don’t know why you’d want to buy me a new stool when there is absolutely nothing wrong with this one,” Castiel teased as he moved back giving Dean room to jump down.

Dean handed over the cultivator and then bent down to pick up the stool, flipping it over to examine it. “Cas,” he scoffed, looking up to meet the Omega’s eyes, “you’re missing like, half the screws in this thing! No wonder it's so unstable!”

“I guess you get what you pay for.” Castiel shrugged as he stepped closer to Dean to look for himself. “I got it at a yard sale for a dollar last summer.”

“Of course you did,” Dean said with a smile, shaking his head. “Alright, I have some tools in my garage, I’ll fix it up for you. Where are you gardening?”

“Back yard,” Castiel replied as he bent down to pick up the bucket and gather his tools. “I was going to pull some weeds around my rhododendron bushes and plant some hydrangeas.”

“Alright,” Dean nodded, “I’ll meet you back there!” He turned and carried the stool out of the garage, only realizing after he was in his own driveway that he’d essentially invited himself to help Castiel. He stopped short and looked over his shoulder, half expecting Castiel to be staring after him in disgust, but the Omega was humming to himself as he collected the rest of his tools and starting around the side of the house to the backyard.

Dean pushed away his self doubt and nerves and went to collect the tools he would need to fix the stool. If Castiel didn’t want him to hang out while he was gardening, he would’ve said so, right? Right.

Dean hoped so, anyways.

He carried everything he needed around the back of Castiel’s house, noticing the Omega kneeling on the ground on the other side of the porch. Dean walked over to him and sat down in the grass. Castiel looked up at him and smiled, effectively melting away what was left of Dean’s nerves, and Dean smiled back as he flipped the stool over and started working on it.

“So,” Castiel began as he placed a handful of weeds off to the side. “No work for you today?”

“Naw,” Dean answered, shaking a few screws from their box and putting three between his teeth. “Had an appointment this morning, Jo told me to just take the day off, that I deserved it.” His voice was slightly slurred thanks to the screws, but he glanced up and Castiel was nodding, so he must’ve understood him. “‘S’weird to have Wednesday off.”

Castiel hummed in agreement. “The first few weeks of summer break is like that for me.” The Omega plucked another bunch of weeds from in between his rhododendron bushes. “It’s like I don't know what to do with myself.”

Dean smiled, getting a screw lined up and working it into place. “Break must be nice though, right? You don’t get too much time off in the school year,” Dean commented. “How long is your break anyways? Two months?”

“Yeah, just a little over two months.” Castiel nodded as he clapped his hands together, wiping the dirt from his gloves. The Omega sat back on his haunches and looked over at Dean. “It’s nice… it would be even nicer if I had a mate to share that time off with.” Castiel shook his head, his face flushed at the bluntness of his statement. “I’m sorry, that was oversharing.”

Dean gave a small laugh, feeling himself blush and he looked down. “I mean, I’m aware you’re looking for a mate… It’s been entertaining to watch, to be honest.” Dean reached up, scratching the back of his neck before he took another of the screws from his mouth. Castiel was still silent so Dean cleared his throat and tried to change the subject.

“Your hydrangeas are going to be blue,” he started, pointing at the bush to the left of where they were sitting, “the soil around here is acidic. It’s why your rhododendron bushes are growing so well. I saw you have an open area on the corner, camellias would grow well there. They’re a climbing plant, but they would fit in with your color scheme. If you’re interested, I could get you a good sized plant at a decent price.”

“I would very much like that.” Castiel smiled shyly at the Alpha. “Thank you, Dean.”

Dean smiled back at him, immediately making a mental note to shoot Jo a text when he got back inside since she would be putting in their order for the week on Friday. He was still smiling as they silently went back to work.

As Dean finished putting in the last screw, he pushed up onto his knees and tested his weight on the stool, satisfied it was safer and more secure than it had been. Castiel was humming softly to himself again, bent over and ripping the weeds out from the back of the bush. Dean allowed himself only a moment to survey his ass sticking up in the air, before he forced himself to speak.

“Well, this is much better,” he said, hoping he didn’t look guilty as Castiel looked back over his shoulder. “Would you like help weeding?”

“Thought you’d never ask,” Castiel teased as he pulled a spare pair of gloves from his back pocket and tossed them to the Alpha. “If you help me pull all the weeds and plant my hydrangeas, I will treat you to lunch.” He smiled brightly at Dean. “Sub sandwiches, homemade chips, and fresh squeezed lemonade. Sound like a fair trade to you? Unless,” the Omega gnawed on his bottom lip his smile faltering, “you have other things to do. Or you just want to enjoy your day off not doing what you do practically everyday.”

“Cas,” Dean said as he slipped back off the stool, accepting the gloves and slipping them on, “this is my _element_.” He smirked as he knelt down into the earth next to the Omega and shifted, bumping their shoulders together. “Just try not to get too jealous of my weeding prowess.”

“I’ll try my damndest,” Castiel deadpanned with a roll of his eyes. “No promises though.”

Dean chuckled and got to work. By the time they’d weeded the entire back garden and planted the two hydrangeas, both of them had soaked through their shirts, the sun hot on their backs. Castiel pulled the front of his shirt out, fanning himself as he pushed up and surveyed their work, and Dean had never been more glad of the fact they were both wearing blockers. The sight of the sweaty Omega alone had him salivating.

They made quick work of picking up the tools and trash, and Dean offered to water the new plants while Cas ran inside to make them lunch. The few hours they spent together were hard work, but as Dean sank down in the adirondack chair by Castiel’s fire pit, a fresh glass of lemonade and his lunch in his lap, Castiel laughing freely beside him…

Yeah, Dean couldn’t imagine having spent his day doing anything else.

  


It was Wednesday night and Dean settled himself on the patio couch for that evening’s  
entertainment. Hell, this was better than Netflix! He leaned forward in excitement as a dark grey Ford F150 pulled up. Let the show begin!

However, a low growl made its way past Dean’s lips as he laid eyes on the asshole Alpha that hopped out of the truck.

Fergus Crowley.

The Alpha also owned a landscaping company called Crowley’s Cut Above the Rest, one he opened just a few months after Dean established his. Dean and his team had found themselves in bidding wars for jobs more than once with the pretentious Alpha, and Dean was sure Crowley had been the one that started the rumor that Dean’s company didn’t pay their taxes. That had been a stressful summer, proving to various city and state officials with the appropriate paperwork, _and_ smoothing over social media (thank you, Charlie) to appeal to the customers that the rumor had indeed been false.

As Crowley rounded the truck, he saw Dean and flashed him a toothy smile. “Well hello, Winchester.”

Dean crossed his arms and glared back at him. “Crowley,” he growled, then turned his head to where the cat was sitting on the railing of Cas’ porch, tail flicking back and forth as he eyed the two Alphas. “I would wish you luck, but I would prefer you’d choke.”

“Now, now,” Crowley tsked, “no need to be _nasty_.” The Alpha gave Dean a cross between a smirk and a scowl, brushing his hands down the front of his button up. “If you will excuse me,” he added as he straightened out his tie, “I have an Omega to win.”

Dean rolled his eyes and sat back heavily against the back of the seat, watching Castiel’s yard to see what genius plan Crowley had come up with. He had his fingers crossed in his lap that it would be a failure of epic proportions.

Crowley reached into his pocket and pulled out a slim black pen, he smirked over at Dean before clicking the end. A small red dot appeared on the walkway and Dean rolled his eyes. Really? A laser pointer? God, the cat was so much smarter than that.

The little dot danced and weaved up the sidewalk and the cat watched it from the top step. He twitched his nose, his whiskers bouncing as he glanced over to Dean as if saying, ‘_Is this guy serious_?’ The sheer thought of the ridiculousness of it made Dean snicker.

Crowley moved the dot closer to the cat, making it dance in circles in front of its paws. The cat didn’t even so much as bat at it.

“Come on you bloody cat!” Crowley grumbled as he shook the pen more forcefully.

After a few more minutes, and Crowley making so many figure eights Dean lost count, the cat turned his back to the Alpha and flicked his tail straight up, giving him a perfect view of his ass as he sauntered away.

“Stupid cat,” Crowley hollered after it. “This isn’t over. I will be back. I will get that key to claim your owner and then the first thing on my agenda as his Alpha will be to kick your fuzzy ass to the curb.”

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes. “Sounds like a winning plan, Crowley,” Dean called over to him. “Yell it a little louder so both the cat_and_ Castiel can know what a tool bag you are!”

Crowley’s eyes widened as if the thought of Castiel hearing him hadn’t even crossed his mind. He quickly schooled his features and turned to face Dean. “At least some of us are Alpha enough to _try_ and catch the cat. Unlike you, just sitting there on your bloody porch.”

Dean shrugged and then smirked as the cat meandered over and jumped up on Dean’s railing. “Yeah, well,” Dean said, reaching over to pick up a piece of grilled chicken from his plate, his eyes never leaving Crowley’s as he placed it on the railing for the cat. “This couch is pretty comfortable.”

“I see what you are doing, Winchester.” He pointed an accusing finger at him. “You are trying to win the cat over with food! I’m on to you, and mark my words, I will get that key before you!” Crowley huffed as he stormed back to his truck and peeled out, swerving as he sped down the street.

Dean jumped as he felt a paw hit the side of his head and he turned to look at the cat staring back at him expectantly.

He snorted and grabbed another piece of chicken for him. “Your dad better not kill me for feeding you a bunch of human food,” he muttered, taking a bite of his dinner himself. They ate in a weird, companionable silence, the cat only ever coming close enough to grab whatever bite Dean had for him.

As the sun started to set, Dean’s plate had been completely cleared and the cat was resting on the other end of the couch, its tail flicking back and forth lazily. He had his eyes closed but was purring softly and Dean chuckled. He looked like every cat’s picture of comfort.

“Alright, Cat,” Dean smiled as the cat opened his eyes just a sliver. He smiled wider as he said, “Remind me to ask Cas what your name is the next time I see him. You should probably get home though, bud. It’s getting dark.”

The cat slowly rose up and glanced over at Dean once before hopping down from his perch and leisurely making his way back to his house.

Dean watched him leave and shook his head before picking up their mess from dinner. It was weird how in just the last two weeks the cat had become such a staple in his life. He looked up at Cas’ dark windows and wondered if the Omega watched the suitors chasing after his cat, or watched Dean hanging out with him every night after hours. Then that led to wondering what _other things_ Cas did at night…

Dean sighed to himself as he went inside, putting everything away and locking up the down stairs. It didn’t matter that it was only nine o’clock and he had the morning off: he was ready for bed. As he laid down, he was suddenly hit with how lonely he felt and he rolled over, thinking about a nameless Omega mate who, for some reason, had dark messy hair and beautiful blue eyes…


	2. The Purrfect Conversations

It had been seven weeks since Castiel had published his ad, and Dean had spent most of the summer evenings watching the going-ons next door. The suitors were starting to dwindle slightly, only one or two coming during the week instead of daily. But, on the quiet nights, Dean lounged on the sofa with the cat curled up by his feet, his furry new friend listening to him talk about his day.

Tonight, though, Dean had Charlie over and they were cooking on the grill. Or _Dean_ was cooking. Charlie was laying over the top of the picnic table, groaning about how her life was over.

“Charlie,” Dean snorted, flipping the chicken and looking down as the cat came slinking around the side of the fence and over to see what was for dinner, “you’re not dying.”

“I am, Dean! You don’t even _know_ how badly that date went. I am never getting a call back. Like, ever. I bet she’s gone so far as to block me on Instagram! Do you even _know_ how pathetic you have to be to be blocked on Instagram, Dean?” She was practically screeching and Dean chuckled as the cat jumped back in alarm.

“You’re okay,” Dean said softly, crouching down on the ground. The cat hesitated once, then walked over to him, turning around last minute to let Dean scratch his back. “Charlie is practicing being dramatic.”

“Bite me, Dean,” Charlie grumbled as she watched him with the cat. “Looks like you two have become besties.” She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Should I worry about being replaced?”

“I don’t know,” Dean answered completely deadpan. “He complains a hell of a lot less.”

“Do you even know his name?” Charlie shot back, glaring at him.

Dean snorted and shook his head. “No, I keep meaning to ask Cas what his name is, but I -”

“Get distracted every time you’re around the pretty Omega?”

Dean glared at her and just barely refrained from throwing the seran wrap from the chicken at her head. Charlie seemed completely unaffected by his look and she sighed dramatically again.

“Yeah, well,” she crossed her arms over her chest, “you weren’t there, Dean. If you had been, you’d be like, ‘Oh yeah she’s _definitely_ gonna ghost you’. So bad…” Charlie trailed off on a sigh.

Dean rolled his eyes and focused on the cat, scratching his back and then his head as he turned to butt against Dean’s fingers. “We’re having chicken tonight,” Dean said to him, “and after the day I had today, we’re having an entire pie. Sound good, buddy?”

The cat chirruped a meow and batted Dean’s hand once before trotting over to the table and jumping up onto Charlie’s stomach. She made an ‘oof’ at the sudden weight on her belly, but took comfort in petting the cat as she waited for Dean to finish cooking.

Dean looked around the backyard, his eyes trailing over into Cas’ and wondering what his neighbor was up to now that the school year had officially started. Although he knew preschoolers didn’t have homework, Cas had spoken about various projects he would be working on at the start of the year and he wondered if he was bent over a bunch of arts and craft supplies.

A few weeks ago, Dean had wandered over to the backyard to see Castiel had six different milk jugs before him and a variety of paper mache materials, markers, toothpicks and popsicle sticks, and was working on the best way to make a bird feeder. They ranged from intricate to simple and when Dean asked, Castiel explained he was looking for the easiest way -- while still keeping the integrity of the feeders intact for bus transport or the banging around of a four year old -- to teach twenty kids how to make their own in an hour long time period.

With Dean’s help, they settled on the third model, and Dean was gifted it as Castiel cleaned up the rest of his materials. Dean looked over at the far end of the fence where he had the feeder hanging proudly, a chickadee now perched on the popsicle stick and eating seeds.

His eyes trailed down from the feeder to the rest of his yard and he sighed. The backyard itself was showing how summer was over, a thick layer of leaves covering the grass. He turned towards the cat and Charlie and called over to them, “You know, I’m going to spend Saturday morning raking. Either of you want to lend a hand?”

The pair of stares he received was answer enough.

“Figures,” he muttered, turning back to the grill. He couldn’t really blame them – the cat, well, that was a joke, and Charlie didn’t appreciate Dean’s love of yard work. “Dinner’s almost ready. Char, get off the table!”

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled as she sat up, holding the cat close to her chest. Charlie gave him one final pat on his head before sitting him down on the bench seat beside her. The cat immediately scampered off and made his way over to Dean’s side, leaping up there and waiting patiently. Charlie let out a loud laugh. “He clearly knows where his bread is buttered.”

“I swear, if Cas knew how much food I fed his cat… he would probably kill me.” Dean shrugged and placed the plate of chicken between them all, grabbing the stack of plates Charlie had moved to the bench in order to lay across the table. Charlie pulled potato salad and three bean salad from the shopping bag she’d brought and plopped them down beside the chicken.

Dean served himself some of each salad and then grabbed the largest piece of chicken, cutting a good portion from it and slicing it up on a small plate. He purposefully avoided Charlie staring at him as he put the plate on the bench seat for the cat. The cat meowed happily and started eating the chicken and Dean glanced up to see Charlie staring at him.

“What?” he asked, stabbing a bite for himself. “If he’s going to eat with me, he deserves to be civilized.”

“No, not that,” she waved her hand before placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. “Why haven’t you gone for the key?”

Dean paused and looked up at her, seeing the cat do the same out of the corner of his eye. He glanced down at the cat and shrugged, both of them turning back to their dinner. “Doesn’t feel right,” Dean answered honestly. “Plus, half the time he’s over here, it's not during the hours Cas set, so it wouldn’t be valid anyways.”

He poked at his potato salad and glanced up to see her still staring at him. He cleared his throat and shrugged again. “Charlie, like I said before, I’m not what Cas is looking for. Could I take the key? Sure, I could. I’m pretty sure the cat would let me. But… then what? Cas would probably hate it the moment I walked through the door, you know?”

“Dean Winchester,” she sighed and shook her head, “Cas or any other Omega, Beta, or Alpha would be lucky as hell to have you. You are smart, funny, kind and caring. So stop selling yourself short.” She stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. “As your best friend I command it.”

Dean gave her a small smile and felt himself blush. “You have to tell me that, you’re my best friend.” He just barely missed the piece of chicken she flung at him and they both laughed as the cat ran after it, claiming it in the grass. “Charlie, I’ve lived next to the guy for two years. If he wanted me as a mate? I think I would’ve known by now.”

“Really?” Charlie snorted. “Because it’s crazy how utterly blind you can be at times.”

Dean rolled his eyes and was thankfully saved by the pinging of Charlie’s phone. He raised an eyebrow as she dived to the side to grab it from the bench. “Ten bucks it’s your lady friend.”

“You’re on!” Charlie smirked. “It’ll be the easiest ten I have ever made, cause no way is she messaging me after the disaster of… hell, I don’t even wanna call that mess a date.”

Dean waved his hand, waiting for her to look at the screen. The screech was answer enough. “Told you so, Red,” Dean said and held out his hand.

“Later, Winchester!” Charlie waved him off, standing up and knocking her knee into the table. “She asked if I was free tonight. Like, right now! I have to go!”

“Hey! What about your food!” he called after her, watching as she grabbed her shoes from the deck and ran inside from the back door. He stared after her in disbelief until the cat came into view, popping up from the bench where Charlie had just been. The cat was eyeing her plate and Dean sighed, reaching for it to scrape the chicken off onto the cat’s plate. He wasn’t sure if the salads were good for a cat, and the last thing he needed was to make it sick.

“Have at it,” he said as he put the plate down, watching the cat eat Charlie’s dinner. He snorted and shook his head as he returned back to his own plate.

After a few more bites, he clicked his tongue and glanced back down at the cat. “You know, she’s wrong,” he said, the cat flicking its tail and glancing up at him. “If your dad even considered taking me as a mate… well, he would’ve made that known by now, don’t you think?”

The cat meowed as he abandoned his plate in order to jump up on the table and make his way over to Dean. He meowed once more as he butted his head against the Alpha’s chest and chin.

“You haven’t even finished yours,” Dean said as he rubbed underneath the cats chin, picking a small piece of chicken from his plate and letting the cat eat it from his fingers. The cat chewed it quickly, then nipped at Dean’s finger. “Ow,” he hissed, pulling his hand back. “It would be much more helpful if you had words, buddy.”

The cat meowed again as his tail swished back and forth, the entire time he stared at Dean and the Alpha stared back. After a few minutes, Dean looked away with huff, beaten by a cat. When he glanced back the cat had what he would describe as a soft look in his eyes. Dean shook his head and offered him another piece of chicken. The cat batted his hand away and moved to nuzzle at his throat with a low purr.

“You’re such a weirdo,” Dean whispered, but nuzzled the cat back. God, if his brother could see him now: friends with a goddamn cat and _not_ having to buy stock in Benadryl. Dean sighed and turned to the side, giving the cat his full attention since they were apparently done eating dinner for the moment. “At least I know you come over here for more than just food,” Dean laughed, rubbing the cat's belly.

The cat began to go lax and purr under Dean’s magic touch. Every now and again he batted at the Alpha’s hand or wiggled to make sure Dean rubbed and scratched certain spots. Once satisfied with the attention, the cat rolled over and flounced back over to his plate to finish the remainder of his food. Dean snorted at him and did the same.

When their plates were clean, Dean found himself looking over at Castiel’s house again. There was plenty of chicken left… He stood, the cat straightening up to watch him, and Dean assured him he would be right back. He returned with a tupperware container and served up the leftover chicken and some of the salads, waving the cat with him as he walked over to Cas’ front door.

He knocked once, but heard nothing coming from inside. The cat stood beside him, looking up at him with a cocked head.

“Let your dad know he’s got dinner out here, okay?” Dean said, reaching down to pet the cat’s head. “Remember, tomorrow we’re raking.”

He laughed as the cat meowed before darting through the pet door. Dean walked back to his house with visions of the cat and a mini-rake, scraping up leaves into a nice cat sized pile. God, and he hadn’t even had a beer…

  
  


“_So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain_,” Dean sang softly under his breath as he raked along the far edge of his backyard. He had been at it for an hour, the entire front and sides of his house done. He had the back edge still to do and then had to combine the four piles into one.

“_And did you exchange, a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage_?”

A sudden movement at his feet made him freeze and he laughed as he saw Castiel’s cat had joined him and was busy batting at the leaves stuck on one of the prongs of his rake.

“Come on then,” Dean said as he lifted the rake and gave it a shake, the leaves falling off from it and sending the cat into a frenzy as he chased them in a circle. “Chase the leaves blowing in the wind, don’t get under the rake, silly!”

The cat seemed to understand him, or maybe the leaves that were rolling in the wind _were_ more fun, because he ran off to bat at those, letting Dean go back to his work.

“_How I wish, how I wish you were here. We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year…. Running over the same old ground_.” Dean glanced up at Castiel’s backyard, his eyes trailing over the back windows and he paused again. “_What have we found? The same old fears… wish you were here_.”

He leaned against the end of his rake and pursed his lips, thinking. He was almost done his yard… but Castiel had a thicker coverage of trees in his backyard. He hesitated for another moment before he glanced back at the cat and shrugged as if it’s inquisitive look gave him permission to head into Cas’ yard and start raking.

He’d just got into the swing of things again and had started singing Aerosmith to himself when he heard his name being yelled across the yard. He stopped and looked up, seeing Cas standing on his deck in a white undershirt, sweatpants that slung low on his hips, and feet bare.

“Dean! What are you doing?!”

Dean shrugged, smiling sheepishly as he waved an arm out to the side. “I’m raking,” he answered, grinning wide as Castiel rolled his eyes at the smart ass remark. He glanced around and saw the cat had disappeared. “Uh, I also may have buried your cat in one of the piles…” he said as his eyes scanned both of their yards.

“No,” Castiel snorted as he nodded his head towards the door, “he’s inside, he came pawing at me and running towards the backdoor. I guess he was wanting to let me know you were out here.”

“Traitor!” Dean called out, mock glaring at Cas’ back door. He smiled again as Castiel laughed and shook his head. “I was out here anyway, figured I would help you out.”

“Thank you. You really didn't have to do that though.” Castiel stepped forward and leaned against the railing of his back deck.

Dean bit his lower lip as a sudden thought crossed his mind. Castiel had offered it last time they did yard work together, so he wouldn’t be _too_ crazy to suggest it, and he found himself saying, “Well, I really don’t mind. I mean, fair trade? I can rake the yard and you can make us lunch?”

He held his breath as he waited for Cas’ response, hoping he hadn’t crossed a line or pushed the Omega too far.

“I can do you one better,” Castiel replied with a blinding smile. “How about I cook you dinner? I was planning on making my grandma Naomi’s famous lasagna and cheesy garlic bread.” The Omega held his hand up and shaded his eyes from the sun as he stared out at the Alpha. “Do you like Italian, Dean?”

Dean’s stomach flipped in excitement and he hoped he didn’t have a ridiculously goofy look on his face. He cleared his throat and tried to look casual as he nodded, “Yeah, I love Italian. I… that entire meal sounds damn good, actually. Do… do you need me to bring anything over?”

“Nope,” Castiel shook his head as pushed off the railing, “just yourself.”

Dean nodded again and gave Castiel a wave as he turned back to continue raking, excitement bubbling through his veins. By the time he’d raked both of their yards into a large pile onto a tarp, he felt accomplished. The cat had joined him once more and was laying in the grass, watching him as his tail flicked back and forth.

He looked over the tarp for a moment, then decided to be done for the day. He could drag the leaves out back tomorrow; right now he needed to shower and have an internal freakout before heading over to Cas’ house. As he walked towards his back yard, he stopped and crouched down to pet the cat.

“I’m gonna have dinner at your place tonight, buddy,” he said as he scratched beneath the cat’s chin. “I hope you don’t mind me being in your domain. I also hope I don’t make a fool of myself. Your dad makes me a little bit nervous… ridiculous, I know, since he’s looking for a mate, but still.”

The cat let out a low meow as he rolled over onto his back and grabbed Dean’s hand, bringing it to his face. He nipped and licked at the Alpha’s fingers before nuzzling against his knuckles, begging for more attention.

Dean laughed and found himself plopping down onto his butt, crossing his legs and shaking his head as the cat climbed into his lap and curled up. “You’re something else, cat,” he said as he ran his fingers down the cat’s spine. “I hope the Alpha you and your dad choose gives you the best scratches…”

Dean spent a few minutes loving on the cat, then reluctantly scooped him up, standing with him underneath his arm. The cat meowed in protest, but Dean simply petted him once more before setting him back on his feet. “I have to get ready, buddy. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Dean ignored the cat’s huff and headed inside, smiling the entire way.

  
  


Dean ran a hand back through his hair nervously as he walked up Castiel’s front steps and raised his hand to knock on the door. He was invited, Castiel _wanted_ him here, there was no reason for him to be nervous…

“Come on in!” came the muffled call from the Omega. “Door’s unlocked!”

Dean swallowed hard and nodded to himself. “You got this, Winchester. It’s not like its a date…” He ignored the pang of regret at that thought and let himself into Castiel’s house.

Dean was immediately hit with how cozy the ranch was. He’d seen it a few years back when he’d helped the Larson’s clean it out after their mom needed to go into assisted living, and while it hadn’t been in _bad_ shape, Castiel had definitely been doing a lot of work on it. Dean wondered when he’d had the time…

From what he could see, the front door opened up into a small sitting area with a hallway leading off to the left where he assumed the bedrooms and bathroom was. To the right, the sitting area had a half-wall that opened up into a dining room. Everything was painted in earthy tones, greens and blues, and the wood floors were all dark oak.

He followed his nose through the dining room and into the kitchen where Castiel was leaning over a stainless steel stove, pushing the oven light on the back of it before leaning down. Instead of looking at his ass – something Dean was miraculously proud of, thank you very much – he looked around the rest of the kitchen. He was instantly jealous. He was _dying_ for black granite countertops, and Castiel’s looked brand freaking new!

“Your kitchen,” he started, looking back as Castiel pulled a large tray of lasagna out of the oven and set it on top of the stove, “is freaking amazing.”

“Thank you,” Castiel smiled brightly as he took off the oven mitts and hung them on the rungs on the back of the stove. “I updated it when I moved in. I love cooking and baking so I spend quite a lot of time in here.”

“You did an awesome job,” Dean said honestly, smiling as Cas blushed slightly. “It sure as heck beats the orange countertops that were in here…”

“That it does,” Castiel hummed in agreement as he grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet and sat them on the island Dean was leaning against. The Omega turned and walked over to the countertop wine cooler beside the refrigerator, clicking his tongue as he riffled through the selections before pulling out a bottle of _Castello di Bossi Chianti_. “This should pair nicely with the lasagna,” he mumbled to himself as he nodded to the drawer beside Dean. “Can you grab the corkscrew from the top drawer?”

“Got it,” Dean answered, twisting around to pull open the closest drawer. He was pleasantly surprised to see everything in the drawer was organized and he found the corkscrew easily. “Want me to do the honors?” he asked, as Cas turned to the cabinets for plates and salad bowls.

At Castiel’s nod, Dean moved around the island and grabbed the wine, pulling off the foil top so he could open it. He traded the opened bottle for the plateware so Castiel could pour them two glasses.

“If you don’t mind, could you set the table?” Castiel asked as he poured each glass halfway full of the dark red wine. “I will grab the lasagna, bread, and salad while you get us set up.”

Dean bobbed his head and picked up the silverware on the island and followed his original footsteps back into the dining room. He hesitated once before setting the two plates side by side, instead of putting them across from each other. One he placed at the head of the table, the other to the right.

He looked up as Castiel came in the room carrying the lasagna, and if the Omega had an issue with the seating arrangement, he didn’t say anything. Dean saw a metal trivet at the end of the table and grabbed it, setting it in place for Cas to put the dish down.

As Castiel turned to go back to get the rest of their dinner, Dean leaned over to give a healthy sniff, no shame as he groaned in delight. “Oh my god, this smells amazing,” he said as soon as Cas came back into the room.

“Tastes even better,” Castiel replied as he sat the basket of cheesy garlic bread and a bowl of caesar salad on each side of the lasagna. “My grandma Naomi was a wonderful cook. In fact -” He grinned at Dean as he turned to go get their glasses of wine and the rest of the bottle. The Omega called over his shoulder, “I have her recipe for tiramisu setting up in the fridge for dessert.”

Dean swore he fell in love a little bit. “Tiramisu is _almost_ as good as pie,” Dean commented as Castiel took his seat. “Hell, dessert is my jam!”

Castiel chuckled and reached forward, serving them both a generous slice of lasagna while Dean gave them both a slice of bread. Dean filled his bowl with salad and handed the serving bowl for Castiel to serve himself. When they were both ready, Dean dug in and took a large bite of the lasagna. He moaned as he chewed, leaning his head back.

“Yeah,” he said after he swallowed, already digging in for another bite, “this is a winner.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Castiel chuckled as he took a sip of his wine.

Dean grinned back at him, his cheeks flushing pink. He was probably being slightly obscene, but hell, this was even better than his mom’s lasagna…

“Told you my grandma was a wonderful cook,” Castiel added as he started to cut his lasagna into tiny squares.

They ate most of their food in a comfortable silence, Dean too busy chewing to even think about beginning a conversation. As he started to get full, he leaned back in his chair and lifted his wine glass to his lips, taking a small sip. He took a moment to look over at his host, Castiel following suit and raising his own glass.

“So,” Dean said slowly, sipping again before placing the glass back on the table, “you don’t seem to be having any luck with an Alpha getting the key from the cat…”

“I haven’t,” Castiel agreed as he reached for the wine bottle topping off his and Dean’s glasses. “No worthy Alpha has tried for the key.” He gave a small shrug. “My cat is very picky and waiting for the right one.”

Dean nodded slowly and licked his lower lip. “You watch the Alphas, right?” With Castiel’s nod, Dean continued, “Even though the cat hasn’t liked anyone, has there been an Alpha around that you wished had gotten the key?”

“Yes,” Castiel twisted the stem of the wine glass with his long slender fingers, “there has been _one_ Alpha that I wouldn’t mind getting the key.”

Dean hated the pang of disappointment he felt and he pursed his lips, thinking back over the various Alphas he’d seen. He knew for sure that it wasn’t Amara, and he hoped like hell it wasn’t Crowley… But honestly, there weren’t _any_ Alphas Dean felt were good enough for Cas.

“Well,” Dean said carefully, picking his fork back up, “I hope that you do get the mate you deserve.” He smiled at Castiel, hoping he saw how honest Dean was. Castiel was a pretty amazing guy, anyone would be lucky to have him as their mate. “Maybe the Alpha you wish for will end up coming back and trying again.”

“I really do hope so, Dean.” Castiel met the Alpha’s radiant green eyes as he asked, “And what about you, would you like to settle down one day?”

“Yeah, I would,” Dean answered back, giving Castiel a sad smile. “No one has really caught my eye… no one available, anyways. Its funny, you would think with how many people I meet every day with my job that I would find someone, but everyone is taken or just… not interested in me.” Dean looked back down at his plate and gave a small laugh. “I mean, I’m probably not the best mate. I work a lot, I guess. I don’t really go out much, I prefer working on the house or the yard, or just grilling out and relaxing. I love my car probably more than I should, just don’t tell her,” Dean said, and looked up, winking at Castiel. Then he added, “I suppose that all makes me pretty boring.”

“You know what they say, the best things in life are worth the wait. And for what it’s worth,” the Omega reached over and placed his hand on top of Dean’s, giving it a brief squeeze, “I think you would make an _amazing_ mate. All the qualities you just named make you a wonderful Alpha.” Castiel removed his hand and placed it back in his lap as he continued talking. “You’re hardworking, you make the _best_ grilled food I have ever had, you’re loyal, and who doesn’t love staying in, ordering takeout, and watching a movie versus going out to a noisy club?”

Dean smiled and looked down at his hand, still tingling where Castiel’s hand had been. God, under any other circumstances, Dean would be over the moon right now from what Castiel was saying. Hell, if he was so great, then why didn’t Castiel want him as a mate? Why was he sitting over here as a friend and watching as Alpha after Alpha chased after Cas’ cat to try to win the most perfect Omega’s affections?

Dean cleared his throat and glanced up, proud of himself for not blurting out, ‘Well then why don’t _you_ want me’ and instead saying, “Thanks, Cas. Means a lot.”

Castiel held his eyes for a few moments before he sighed softly and smiled, nodding his head. They ate the rest of their meal in silence, and Dean won out the silent battle over who was going to clear the table.

When they got to the kitchen, Castiel worked on putting away the leftovers, Dean started in on the dishes, rinsing all of their plates and loading up the dishwasher. The Omega pulled out the tupperware dish Dean had left for him a few weeks ago and filled it full of leftovers for Dean to have for lunch tomorrow. Once he was finished with that he retrieved the tiramisu from the fridge and placed it on the island.

“So we’re at the stage in our relationship, our, ah, friendship, where we’re sharing tupperware now?” Dean joked, his cheeks blushing a bit at his slip up, but it made him feel happy inside that Castiel had kept his tupperware instead of dropping it off the next day. Hell, it very well could be that he’d forgotten he had it, but Dean hoped Cas kept it in the hopes he’d be able to return the favor.

“I guess it does,” Castiel teased back as he grabbed a few mini dessert plates from the cupboard. “Would you like some more wine? I was contemplating on opening another bottle.”

Dean thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure, why not?” It wasn’t like he had to drive and he honestly wasn’t ready to head home yet. “Do you need help serving the dessert?”

“How about I serve up the dessert and you open the bottle?” Castiel flashed him a shy smile as he admitted, “I hate using that damn corkscrew, half the time pieces of the cork end up in my wine.”

Dean laughed and went for the corkscrew again, then headed to the wine cooler for another bottle. “Well, I suppose you’ll have to invite me over any time you want wine then.” He left the unspoken, ‘until you get a mate’ in his head.

“I suppose I will,” Castiel whispered as he traded Dean a dish of tiramisu for a glass of wine.

“Are we going to eat in the dining room or do we want to eat it on your deck?” Dean asked as he took a small sip of his wine.

“It’s such a nice night with the full moon and all, so let's take our dessert and that bottle,” Castiel nodded to the half full bottle on the counter, “and go enjoy it from the comfort of the swing on my back deck.”

Dean smiled and followed Cas out through his backdoor and over to the swing. He ignored his stomach flipping and sat on one side, looking over and smiling at Cas as he sat down next to him. Cas immediately pulled his legs up beneath him, his knee brushing against Dean’s thigh, and Dean smiled again as he pressed his toes into the deck and rocked them gently.

The tiramisu was just as good as the lasagna, and Dean told Cas as much, even as he refrained from licking the plate. Cas simply laughed and took their empty plates, resting them on the railing until they were ready to go back inside.

Dean looked around the backyard, the deck light shining bright enough to light most of it up. He furrowed his brow as he thought of the last time he’d seen the cat. It had been before his shower and in his own yard, so Dean trailed his gaze over in that direction even though he knew the cat wouldn’t be in the same place.

“Hey, Cas?” he asked, looking over at the Omega. “I’ve been meaning to ask you… what's your cat’s name? I keep calling him ‘Cat’ or ‘buddy’,” Dean chuckled, giving a small shrug. “I’m worried I’ll end up giving him a complex.”

Castiel laughed shaking his head as he settled back against the back of the swing. “Cat actually works pretty well,” he answered and Dean raised a brow.

“You… you named your cat ‘_Cat_’?”

“No,” Castiel shook his head, “his name is Catstiel.” Castiel’s cheeks flushed a bright pink as Dean snorted and tried to hide his laugh. “It was my brother Gabriel’s clever idea. He said there wasn’t a more perfect name for him than Catstiel.” He sighed and shook his head again, “it wasn’t worth arguing with him, so the name stuck.”

“Huh,” Dean replied, repeating the name. “Catstiel _and_ Castiel,“ the Alpha smirked, “I apologize in advance if I call you the cat’s name.”

Castiel gave a sharp laugh, making Dean jump slightly and look at him.

“Oh man, well,” Castiel said, clearing his throat, “I’ll probably answer to it.”

Dean chuckled again and nodded his head. “Speaking of, where is Catstiel? Is he still outside?”

“No,” Castiel shook his head as his gaze flicked from the stars to Dean, “I locked him up in my room once dinner was almost done. Didn’t want him begging scraps from us all night. Someone,” he quirked a brow a Dean, “has been feeding him human food.”

Dean looked up at the sky, trying to hide his smirk. “I am not sure what you’re talking about,” the Alpha said, finding the night sky suddenly very interesting. “I’m sure whatever he told you was a lie.”

“Mmhm,” Castiel bumped his shoulder against the Alpha’s. “I’m on to you Dean Winchester.”

Dean chuckled and bumped Castiel back, glancing over at him. “I promise, he’s only had the best quality meats and… cheeses… possibly some potatoes, and the beer was completely on accident because he’s a shit.”

Dean laughed and shook his head. “You know, I freaking love that cat. My day feels incomplete when I don’t hang out with him, even if it's just for a few minutes.”

Castiel smiled at him warmly. “I happen to have it on good authority that he is _very fond_ of you as well.”

“I’m glad,” Dean answered honestly and started swinging them once more.

They finished their wine talking about some of the kids in Castiel’s class this year and a few of the interesting jobs Dean had coming up. They talked a little about some of the Alphas who had been chasing after the cat -- the Alpha last week who’d come with an honest to God tranq gun that Dean had to chase off with a water gun that was a perfect replica of a colt (thank you so much Charlie), a few other trappers whose traps were not _nearly_ as humane as Charlie’s, and a woman who dressed up in a cat costume and spent the better part of an hour on her hands and knees _meowing_…

When Castiel started stifling a yawn behind his hand, Dean stopped rocking them and gave him a small nudge. “It’s getting late, I should let you get settled.” Dean stood and reached over Cas for the plates. “I really appreciate you making me dinner, Cas. It was delicious and I had a great time hanging out with you tonight.”

“Me too, Dean,” Castiel replied as he pushed up out of the swing. “We should do it again sometime soon.” He took the plates from Dean’s hands and held open the back door. “Come on, lets get your leftovers, and I’m sending the rest of that tiramisu home with you, too.”

“You’re perfect,” Dean said with a happy sigh, meeting Castiel’s eyes as the Omega turned around to give him a radiant smile. Yeah, Cas really was perfect.

  


Dean tried to hide his yawn, shoving his feet into his work boots on the back deck, and then stomping to get the now dried mud off of them. Despite having drank nearly an entire pot of coffee already, he hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep last night and the caffeine was doing him no favors. The riding mower broke _again_, Jo had misplaced her time card, and they had a missing shipment of loam that Dean had to deal with before he was able to go to bed.

The morning air was still cold and damp and Dean swore under his breath as he leaned against the railing of the porch, his jeans now wet. He looked down, trying to determine if his boots were clean enough to walk through the house. Otherwise, he had to walk around the property through the dew covered grass. He didn’t really want to start the day out with wet boots...

He was still debating when he heard the sound of the screen door next door and he looked up to see Castiel coming out onto his back porch, a light blue mat rolled under his arm, and work out clothes. The Omega shook out the mat a few steps off the porch and stepped onto it, raising his arms above his head to stretch.

Dean’s thoughts of his shoes and work and responsibility flew out the window as he stared at the slip of skin showing from Castiel’s shirt riding up.

Holy fuck. Was this what Castiel did every Saturday morning? And how the hell had Dean missed this for the past two years?!

He swallowed hard, watching as Castiel dropped down, stretching his legs and arms into different yoga positions. His clothing rode up further, flooding Dean with dangerous, delicious thoughts. Castiel bridged his back, his ass pushed up into the air, and Dean honest to God groaned out loud.

Of course, that’s when Castiel turned his head to the side and saw Dean staring at him from the back deck.

Dean contemplated turning around and running inside, but Castiel dropped down to his knees and sat back, giving Dean a small wave. Dean swallowed hard and waved back, hoping that his thoughts weren’t plastered on his face. He cleared his throat, again contemplating bolting, as Cas stood up and walked barefoot over to him.

“Morning Cas,” Dean coughed, shifting nervously on his feet, “didn’t mean to, uh, stare. You’re quite… bendy.”

_Jesus Christ, Winchester_…

“Yeah,” Castiel nodded, a look of amusement on his face. “_Years_ of yoga will do that for you.”

Dean licked his lower lip, dropping his eyes down from Castiel’s gaze. Castiel totally knew what Dean had been thinking. “I, uh, am impressed,” Dean said, kicking his toe against the deck.

“I was just stretching.” Castiel flashed him a coy grin. “You should see what I can do once I’ve properly been warmed up.”

Dean choked, running a hand over the back of his neck. “I… I can only imagine,” he said softly, feeling his cheeks flush. God, he didn’t need to be thinking about Castiel being bendy. “I… I should let you get back to your workout… and I should, uh, go to work…” Dean closed his eyes, shaking his head. God, he sounded stupid. What was it about this Omega that made him so nervous?

“Well,” Castiel curled his toes in the wet grass. “I do an hour every morning, you know, if you wanna join me sometime... instead of just watching.” A wicked smirk spread across the Omega’s lips, “I could show you a few new_ _positions_, _Dean.”

Dean’s eyes widened and he found himself nodding. “Uh, yeah, we could… I would try it, I mean…” He flashed a bright smile and nodded again quickly. “Alright, well, you should get back to it and I will go to work. So… have a good day, and… enjoy your stretching… and… okay.”

“I will,” Castiel chuckled as he turned to walk back to his porch, looking over his shoulder as he called out. “Have a good day at work,_ _Alpha_.”_

Dean inhaled sharply, the air punched from his lungs. He tore his eyes away, closing them quickly in case they were ringed red, and just barely managed to bite back the growl that was bubbling its way up from his stomach. Dean forced himself to smile, not trusting himself to speak, and blew out a slow breath as he looked back up to watch Castiel walk back towards his yard.

God, he would be replaying that in his dreams. He thought that his name sounded good on the Omega’s lips, it was nothing compared to hearing Cas call him Alpha. Dean closed his eyes again as Castiel dropped back down, restarting his workout, and forced himself to clear his mind.

Then he made himself turn around, despite wanting to sit on the back deck and watch Castiel go through every single position, to head through the house. He stopped in the kitchen to refill his travel mug, though he was suddenly not as tired as he had been when he went out back. He needed to be thinking of fertilizer and plants and mowing, not Castiel bending over and stretching, his shorts riding up to show off his muscled thighs…  


  


Dean laid on his back porch, linking his ankles and dragging a string across the hardwood. Yes, he had back porch patio furniture, but he was a grown ass man and if he wanted to lay on the deck, well, he had every right to! Plus, it gave him the perfect angle to see the cat on the bottom of the stairs, his eyes wide and ears back as his attention darted back and forth with every flick of the string.

Dean cackled as he jerked the string back, the cat leaping forward and sliding over the wood, nearly slamming into Dean as he scrambled to right himself and chase after the string as Dean flicked it in the other direction. He was seemingly _not_ impressed with being laughed at, because he broke away from chasing the string to bat Dean’s head instead.

“Sorry, buddy,” Dean said, still laughing, “but you have to admit that was damn funny.”

The cat huffed and swatted Dean’s nose. Okay, clearly he didn’t think it was funny. Dean snorted as the cat leapt on top of his back and curled up in the small of it, kneading his shoulder with his sharp claws and making the Alpha hiss.

“Alright, alright,” Dean grumbled as he rolled his shoulders until the cat’s claws retracted. “I won’t make fun of you then. At least not when I’m down on your level…”

That seemed to appease the cat and he moved further up Dean’s back and began to nuzzle the side of the Alpha’s head. Dean flinched as he felt the cool key rub against his cheek. It would be so easy for him to just reach up and take it...

He sighed and dropped his head to the deck, the loud thump making the cat jump. “Fuck my life, Cat. You know,” he said as he turned his head to the side, the cat peering down at him, “your dad told me there was an Alpha he wished you’d given the key to. All I can think is how many tool bags have been through here… which one do you think your dad liked?”

The cat blinked at him, then batted Dean’s face.

“Yeah, I don’t know who either.” He sighed, shaking his head. “At least there haven’t been too many Alphas around this week, huh buddy? You’ve had an easy one so far.”

The cat grumbled as he hopped down from his Dean perch and moved to lay in front of him face to face. The cat touched his nose to Dean’s before moving back to just stare at him expectantly.

Dean opened his mouth to say something, when a loud bark caused both of them to jump and look around. “Did that sound like -” Dean stopped mid sentence, his question answered as he spotted a large malinois making its way across Dean’s backyard. “What the fuck?”

The cat scampered back, hiding underneath one of the patio chairs, looking around the edge of it with wide eyes. Dean pushed himself up from his prone position and ran down the steps, looking around for who owned the dog. Instead of a person, a second malinois came from around the side of the house, letting out a loud bark.

“Juliet, Romeo! Wrong bloody-” Crowley cleared his throat as he rounded the corner and saw Dean standing there, arms crossed over his chest blocking the dogs from going further. “Hello again, Winchester. Told you I’d be back.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Crowley?” Dean fired back, narrowing his eyes.

“I came for that key.” Crowley grinned smugly. “Bought the most expensive, best hunting dogs there is to flush out the cat. I _will_ win that Omega.”

Dean snorted and leaned against the railing, shaking his head. “You honestly think you’re going to win over an animal lover like Cas by buying dogs for a one time use? What are you going to do with _Romeo_ and _Juliet_ after today?”

“That is not your concern,” Crowley replied haughtily. “Once they serve their purpose, well…” he trailed off with a shrug.

Dean glared and muttered under his breath. God, this Alpha was an asshole. He would beat the key out of Crowley’s slimy hands before he ever let him try to claim Cas as a mate. He scoffed and turned his attention to the dogs. They were sniffing around the yard but seemed oblivious to the cat being a mere few feet away.

“Romeo, Juliet, come!” Crowley called in a dominant tone. “Wrong yard.”

The dogs whined as they continued to meander around the expanse of Dean’s backyard. Crowley huffed and threw his hands up. “I paid hundreds of bloody dollars for you mutts! Do your damn job and find that cat.” He turned to Dean and quirked a brow. “Is he here, Dean? Is that damn cat here with you?”

Dean glared back and shifted his weight. “You need to leave,” he said, his voice like steel. “Take your Hellhounds and get off my damn property!”

“Not without that key!” Crowley boomed as he moved a step closer, stopping at the rumbling growl that spilled past Dean’s lips. “Why do you even care? You have made no move to claim the key!”

“I don't owe you any explanation, Crowley!” Dean hissed, widening his stance to keep the other Alpha in his place. “You are well within your rights to go sit on your ass in Cas’ yard since he put out an open invitation, but right now you are trespassing on _my property_ and I will have you removed if you can't manage to do so on your own!”

“You think you scare me, Winchester?” Crowley asked, his stern tone betrayed by his actions as he took two steps back. “We are gonna go,” he scowled at Dean, “but not because of _you_. I have an important business meeting to attend. Make no mistake, I will return.” He spun on his heel whistling and calling over his shoulder, “Come on you goddamn useless dogs!”

Dean watched them with narrowed eyes as the dogs happily followed after Crowley as he stalked away. He felt a pang of regret that the dogs had to go back home with Crowley, and he hoped the man had just been being a dick and would actually keep and take care of them. Hopefully, that wasn’t just wishful thinking.

Dean stayed in his spot with his arms crossed until he heard the sound of a car starting up and then pulling away. Then he collapsed back on the steps with a sigh, twisting his head to look at the cat as he was making his way out from under the furniture.

“Never, ever choose that pompous ass, got it?” Dean sighed as he reached for the cat and started to scratch behind his ears. “God, can you imagine if those dogs had actually been trained properly and had come after you? I’m not sure I would’ve been able to keep them at bay. I really don’t want that asshole to come back…”

The cat meowed in what Dean was calling consensus and butted his head harder against Dean’s fingers.

“I wish your dad would just…” Dean sighed, shaking his head and pausing in his movements. He was being selfish, he knew it. But if he was only telling the cat… He licked his lower lip and looked down at the cat. “I wish your dad would just choose me,” he whispered. “From the moment he moved next door, I was attracted to him. I mean, how could I not see that he was one of the most attractive Omegas I’ve ever seen? I’m not _blind_. But over the years as I’ve gotten to know him a little bit, and even more so recently… he’s a really great Omega, you know?”

The cat let out a loud purr, pressing against Dean’s hand again so Dean would resume his petting. “Yeah, of course you know. I’m sure he’s the best to you. Sometimes,” Dean admitted, clearing his throat and looking down at his feet, “I think about what it would be like if he did choose me. I can picture spending late nights out on the porch, full and happy from whatever dinner we cooked side by side. I would get his input on what he thought about my business decisions, on new contracts. And I would listen to him tell me about the rugrats and what he was teaching them.

“Our laundry would be a mix of paint, markers, and grass stains, until baby food came along. If you didn’t mind, I could see us getting a dog, maybe even another hypoallergenic cat like you.” Dean chuckled and ran his hand down the cats back. “If you ever told me I would be thinking about owning a cat, I would’ve told you you were crazy… but you’re pretty awesome.

“I want…” Dean sighed, leaning his head back and letting his eyes fall closed. “I want to fall asleep listening to his voice and wake up every morning to his smile. I don’t want to watch some other Alpha go prancing in there and taking a spot that I _wish_ I was in.”

Dean glanced down and returned his attention to the cat’s neck, scratching beneath his chin. “I’m pathetic, aren’t I? Wanting someone that doesn’t want me.”

The cat huffed, twisting his head, and Dean’s fingers slipped through the collar. “Wait!” he said, as if the cat could truly understand him. It was almost like the cat had a moment of panic, trapped with Dean fingers caught against his neck, and he twisted and pulled back, the collar slipping free from his throat. The cat shook his head from side to side and then looked at Dean, his blue eyes blinking owlishly before he darted off the deck and back towards his house.

“Wait!” Dean called out again louder, uncrossing his legs and reaching for the railing to pull himself up to his feet. “You forgot… your collar.” Dean sighed the last words and reached up to scratch the back of his neck with his free hand.

Well, this was… a predicament.

What the hell was he supposed to do now? He looked across the yard, but the cat was gone and Dean doubted after he freaked him out, that the cat would be back tonight. He could walk over and leave the collar on Cas’ porch, or even on the swing out back but… his thoughts immediately turned to Crowley. What if that awful Alpha came back, or someone equally as horrible? They would strike gold if they found the collar just laying there, catless. Plus, what would Cas be able to say if the Alpha walked through the front door with the key?

Dean was _not_ going to be the reason Cas ended up mated to some douchebag.

He could wait until tomorrow, but what if Cas was home and saw the collar was off the cat and got worried? What if he sat up all night, expecting and waiting for some strange Alpha to waltz through his front door and demand they be mated? The idea of Cas sitting up anxious all night made him feel like a jerk, and it really only left him one option.

He was going to have to walk over there and leave the collar in Cas’ house, or give it to Cas if he was home, and apologize for getting it off the cat the way he did. He really didn’t _mean_ to take it, as much as the silly idea of how he technically won Cas’ game made his stomach flutter.

“Fuck me,” Dean muttered and started walking over to Cas’ house.

Really, Cas would probably laugh at him and tell him it was okay, shit happens. And it was almost 8pm, so it wasn’t likely there would be any other Alphas comin’ around this evening, so Dean doubted he’d ruined Cas’ chance at getting his perfect mate tonight. And if Cas was mad, well… Dean would just have to promise to be more careful when he was petting the cat.

He was still contemplating what he was going to say to Cas when suddenly he was at the front door. Dean knocked, nothing. He reached forward, testing the knob, and found it locked. Which, no surprise, Winchester. That’s kind of the _point_.

Blowing out a slow breath, Dean held up the collar and slid the key into the lock, turning it before pushing open the door.

Here goes nothing.


	3. The Purrfect Consummation

The house was silent as Dean let himself in with the only light coming from the kitchen. He made his way through the dining room, hoping to see Cas cooking dinner or something, but was pleasantly surprised to see the cat trotting across the floor.

Another idea hit him. Maybe he could just put the collar back on the cat and then Cas would never--

Dean froze midstep, his eyes widening as he tried to comprehend what it was he was seeing.

The sound of bones cracking and fur seemingly melting into skin had Dean stumbling backwards. The Alpha gasped as he watched the cat transform into… into freaking _Cas_.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel began as he stood up and rolled his shoulders before popping his neck. “It took you long enough.”

Dean blinked, shaking his head, and he was pretty sure his mouth was hanging open. He forced himself to keep his eyes on Cas’ face, because the Omega was standing before him very, _very_ naked. He cleared his throat, then snapped his mouth shut. Because, what the fuck.

Castiel, for his part, smiled softly and waited, patient as ever while Dean collected his thoughts. It was unfortunate that the first thought that came out of Dean’s mouth was, “You’re… do you… have hairballs?” He then flushed when Cas raised his eyebrow. “I mean, like, hairballs, not like hairy balls, and Jesus Christ… you’re a fucking cat. You’re _the_ cat. You’re… I need to sit down.”

“I am.” Castiel nodded, amused. “I’m a _shifter_. Why don’t you go take a seat in the living room while I get dressed, then we can talk.” The Omega turned to go down the hallway, pausing in his step to call over his shoulder, “And to answer your question: no, I don’t get hairballs.”

Dean looked up and watched him shaking his head, laughing, and he sure as hell did _not_ check out Cas’ ass as he disappeared from sight. A shifter. Cas was a freaking shifter. They were _rare_, Dean hadn’t even fully believed they existed anymore, and yet… Cas very clearly was one.

He made his way to the living room, sinking down on one end of the couch and resting his head against his hand on the arm rest. Wait.

“Wait!” Dean yelled across the house, not caring that he was being _so_ rude. “Do you remember everything that happens while you’re a cat? Everything that’s said or done around you?”

“Yes,” Castiel replied as he walked back into the room, pulling on a sky blue tee shirt, “I do.”

Dean felt himself flush crimson and his eyes widened. “Oh my god,” he whispered, then immediately bolted up straight. “I’m so sorry, Cas. I… fuck, okay, I’m going to go.”

Dean turned away ready to run out the door when suddenly Cas was there, a hand on his arm and stopping him in his tracks. God, Dean felt like such a moron. Castiel had been forced to listen to him for _months_ telling the cat how awesome Dean thought Cas would be as a mate. He had basically made a fool out of himself every afternoon!

“Please don’t,” Castiel whispered as he met Dean’s eyes. “Stay, there is so much we need to talk about. So,” Castiel ran his hand down the Alpha’s arm and linked their fingers together, “don’t go, Dean.”

Dean swallowed hard, his eyes wide as he flexed his fingers in Castiel’s hold, but he nodded and allowed himself to be led over to the couch. Dean sat down slowly in the seat he had just vacated, Castiel sinking down on the cushion beside him.

“First off I just want to say how sorry I am if you feel I deceived you in any way,” Castiel turned on the couch to better face Dean, “but I felt this was the best way for me to find a mate. People can be so fake to your face, but as a cat?” He gave Dean a calculating look. “I got to see the real them right away.”

“I don’t… really feel deceived at all,” Dean answered honestly, giving a half shrug. “I’m shocked, and a little embarrassed, if I’m being honest, but I understand where you’re coming from.” Dean paused and cocked his head. “So, wait, that means you were in control of who you choose as your mate the entire time. And the last time we had dinner together… you had said there was someone in mind that you’d wished had taken the key. Who was it?”

“Charlie was right,” Castiel chuckled, “you _can_ be utterly blind at times.” At Dean’s confused look he rolled his eyes and continued, “It was you, Dean. I wanted you to take the key. I have for _weeks_ now. I gave you so many opportunities to do so, but you were too busy thinking you weren’t what I wanted to see you were exactly what I _needed_. So tonight as you were telling the cat… telling _me_ how you really felt, I just,” Castiel smiled shyly, “decided to make damn sure you got that collar off me and had to come open my door so we could…” He trailed off with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

Dean swallowed hard, searching Cas’ eyes for some sign that he was joking. For some sign that this was a goddamn dream. “You… you want me… as your mate?” Dean asked, watching the fond smile grow over Cas’ mouth. “Holy crap.”

“If you meant everything you said,” Castiel placed his hand on Dean’s knee, squeezing it, “and if you really want me too.”

Dean placed his hand over Cas’ and interlaced their fingers, squeezing back. “Yeah, Cas. I meant every word… and I really want you too.”

“Good,” Castiel beamed as he stared down at their joined hands and then up to Dean, “because all those other Alphas were shit,” he teased, laughing at the affronted look it earned him.

Dean shook his head and then gave a small laugh of his own. “I mean, I don’t know…. Crowley brought dogs. Who doesn’t like dogs?” Then he shuddered. “If he had gotten the key… I would’ve had to move. Or have burned your house down with him inside of it, something. The idea of his smug mug over the fence, waving at me while cooking at the grill… I would’ve had to kill him.”

“Cats, Dean. Cats don’t like dogs,” Castiel deadpanned before humming and bobbing his head from side to side. “And I don’t think you would’ve gotten the chance to kill Crowley, I would have beaten you to it. Win me, really?” Castiel rolled his eyes. “I’m a person, not a possession.”

Dean felt his smile grow and he nodded his head, taking a moment to picture the beat down Cas would’ve laid on the slimy Alpha. “You know, it was amazing to me how many of the Alphas acted that way, as if you were a prize to win. And while, I mean, you _are_… they weren’t thinking of it in the way they should have. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their mate, as their partner. The gift is you sharing yourself and your life with them. If that makes sense…”

“It makes perfect sense, Dean.” Castiel shifted closer to the Alpha. “And just so you know, I would consider myself very lucky to have you as a mate. To share my life with you and call you my Alpha.”

Dean searched Castiel’s face, his eyes darting down to look at Castiel’s lips before back up again. “I... “ he cleared his throat, nervous, “I’m not dreaming, right?”

Castiel shook his head slowly, smiling softly.

“Okay,” Dean said, nodding his head, “then I’m going to kiss you now.”

“It’s about damn time,” Castiel replied as he stared into Dean’s emerald eyes, waiting.

Dean reached up, cupping Castiel’s cheek and leaning forward, guiding Castiel to meet him in the middle. When their lips met, Dean swore there was a spark, a jolt of heat that went through him, warming him from head to toe. Castiel’s lips were warm and soft, slightly chapped and perfect, and they fit against Dean’s in a way that no one else’s ever had.

Castiel let out a soft gasp as Dean’s tongue darted out and ran across his bottom lip, craving entrance. The Omega parted his lips and Dean’s tongue dipped into his mouth, curling around his. The Alpha pulled him closer as he deepened the kiss, turning his head to the side and carding his fingers through Castiel’s hair before resting his hands on the back of his neck.

Once Castiel’s lips began to tingle he pulled back, breaking the kiss with a breathless, “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Dean nodded, “I agree.” He moved to chase Castiel’s lips but the Omega chuckled softly as shook his head and he leaned back even more.

“I could kiss you all night, but, we still have some things we need to talk about, Dean. Like,” Castiel gnawed on his bottom lip nervously as he asked, “are you okay with me being a shifter?”

“I honestly don’t know much about it,” Dean answered, brushing Cas’ cheek with his knuckles and getting his attention. “But I don’t have a problem with it, no. Tell me about shifting.”

“As you probably do know, shifters are _very_ rare and the animal type vary from bloodline. My family has a long lineage of feline shifters, dating back, well…” Castiel trailed off, “as far as we know. I also don’t _have_ to shift, but I enjoy it. And if I go too long without shifting I get this itch under my skin, a need of sorts. So if you _do_ choose to mate me,” he gave Dean a shy smile, “don’t be surprised if you come home from work some days and find me in cat form sunning on the porch.”

Dean chuckled and shook his head. “So I am still deadly allergic to cats. The only reason I wasn’t affected by you is because you’re not a _cat_ cat.”

Castiel gave a half shrug and smiled back at him.

Dean paused for a moment then said, “And of course I want to mate you, if that’s what you want, too.” They smiled together as Castiel nodded, letting Dean know he did indeed want that. Dean reached for his hand again, holding it tightly. “So… pups, no wait, kits? They would be called kits, right?

“Yes,” Castiel nodded, “Feline shifters call their young kits.”

“Cool, okay, alright, so,” Dean cleared his throat, “If we have kids will they be shifters, or have the possibility of being shifters?”

“The shifter gene is a recessive gene. So it depends on the lineage of your family and chance, essentially. There’s a possibility, of course.” He looked at Dean and knew his scent gave off a hint of nervousness as he asked, “Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah, I am,” Dean answered honestly, his thoughts wandering, picturing himself chasing a kitten around the house, but the kitten actually being his _kid_. “We will definitely have to talk more about it when it gets closer to that time.”

“Okay,” Castiel felt his insides warm at the thought of having children with Dean, “we will _definitely_ revisit that topic.”

Dean beamed back and nodded enthusiastically. God, he never expected to be picturing having kids with Cas when he walked over here! “I still can’t believe this is happening,” Dean said with a soft laugh. “Why did you wait for me? Why didn’t you just come over there and smack me upside the head?”

“Because,” Castiel gave him a cheeky smile, “where's the fun in that?” At Dean’s glare he snickered and continued, “In all honesty, I was enjoying the time we spent together. I enjoyed getting to know you with your guard down. But tonight when you said ‘_I want to fall asleep listening to his voice and wake up every morning to his smile. I don’t want to watch some other Alpha go prancing in there and taking a spot that I wish I was in_’ I just,” Castiel threaded his arm in Dean’s, “couldn’t let another day go by without _having_ that.”

Dean licked his lower lip and bit the bullet. Call him crazy, but… “It's going to be so easy to fall in love with you.”

“Yeah,” Castiel’s smile lit up the room as he said, “I feel the same way about you, Dean.”

Dean leaned in and pressed his lips to Castiel’s again, the movement unhurried, the kiss soft. Afterall, they had all the time in the world, didn’t they? They took their time kissing slowly, Castiel pressing closer and Dean pulling him in.

The Alpha, wanting to be even closer to his mate, hauled Castiel into lap, his hands slipping up the back of the Omega’s shirt and his fingertips pressing into Cas’ skin. The comforting weight of Castiel pressed against him was slowly driving Dean crazy, but to _finally_ have his mate’s lips pressed against his… Dean could’ve done this for hours. Every press of Castiel’s lips, every swipe of his tongue, every swallowed gasp and moan, had Dean’s inner Alpha purring in pleasure. He wanted to make every moment good for his mate.

Dean pulled back slightly, pressing his lips to Castiel’s chin before kissing down his throat while he asked, “Do you want to do this tonight? I can wait, if you want -”

“Dean Winchester,” Castiel groaned, “I swear to God if you don’t mate me tonight, I will be forced to -”

Castiel’s words cut off with a gasp as Dean’s tongue found his mating gland and ran over it. A shiver went up the Omega’s spine and Dean smiled against his skin. “I would hate to deny my mate anything.”

“Bedroom.” Castiel scrambled off Dean’s lap and held his hand for the Alpha to take, hauling him up. “Bedroom, _now_.”

Dean held on tightly to Cas’ hand, pulling him in closer to kiss him again. “Fuck,” he said as Castiel practically plastered himself to Dean’s front, his arms winding around Dean’s neck and holding them together. “Stop, we can’t. I don’t know where your bedroom is.”

“Last door on the right,” Castiel mumbled against Dean’s lips. “And if we don’t hurry I’m just going to bend over the couch.”

Dean groaned at the picture painted and _almost_ considered letting Cas do it. But, no, mating Cas for the first time was not going to be in his living room. “Next time,” Dean said quickly, reaching down and lifting Cas up, the Omega quickly getting the idea and wrapping his legs around Dean’s waist.

Cas found Dean’s mouth again, biting his lower lip gently before sweeping his tongue over the bite. Dean carried Cas blindly through the hall, the Omega throwing his hands out every once in a while to keep them from bumping into the walls, until they reached the end of the hall.

“Right,” Cas reminded him before kissing him breathless once again.

Dean fumbled for the handle, pushing open the door and stumbling into the room. It was a cozy room, and smelled like… almost like a fresh baked peach pie topped with cream. He groaned as he inhaled deeper, realizing it was Cas’ natural scent and he couldn’t wait to get the Omega worked up enough to sweat the day’s blockers off.

He was totally on board with smelling freshly baked peach pie for the rest of his life.

Dean swatted blindly at Castiel’s bedroom door to shut it, but the door had swung too wide out of his reach and he nearly toppled Cas to the floor in the process. After the third attempt, he gave up; it wasn’t like anyone was going to walk in on them and it sure as hell wasn’t important enough for Dean to remove his lips from his soon to be mate just to close the damn door.

Castiel obviously had no issue with the door being open either, as his hands found the top of Dean’s shirt and started to pull, groaning impatiently as Dean continued to try to walk them over to the bed. He laughed against Cas’ mouth and let the Omega down to the ground on his own feet so they could remove each other’s clothing without one of them ending up on the floor.

Though, come to think of it… Dean wouldn’t mind having Cas on _any_ surface of the house, floor included.

They stumbled their way through the room, pulling clothing from each other’s bodies as they went and discarding them in their wake before they tumbled on the bed, naked and tangled together.

With the height of Castiel’s arousal, his scent was starting to break through, and Dean groaned out loud. “You smell so good,” Dean mumbled against the flesh of Castiel’s stomach as he nosed his way up the Omega’s chest and inhaled deeply against his throat. “I can smell how turned on you are for me,” the Alpha let out a low growl as he nipped at Castiel’s mating gland, “and you smell fuckin’ _amazing_.”

“Oh, Alpha!” Castiel gasped as he felt the warm wetness of Dean’s tongue against his skin. The Omega’s gasp turned into a long drawn out moan as he bared his throat for the Alpha to lick long broad stripes, marking him as Dean’s. Castiel’s hands clutched at his sheets as he writhed against the silk and slick began to pour from his hole.

“You turn me on so much.” Castiel’s breath hitched as Dean’s fingers skated up his sides, slow and sensual. “Love the way you touch me,” the Omega nuzzled against Dean’s cheek. “It makes me wet.”

Dean’s teeth grazed across the mating gland and he moaned against his skin. Castiel twisted slightly, panting in the Alpha’s ear as he whispered, “Wet and ready for your knot, for you to _finally_ claim me as your Omega.”

‘_Mine, mine, mine_’, played on repeat in the primal part of Dean’s brain as he rumbled a loud growl and crashed their lips together roughly, closing the miniscule space between their bodies. The sharp tang of blood drove Dean’s inner Alpha and Castiel’s inner Omega wild with want. Looking back, this was always how it was meant to be, and they waited far too long. Their inner beasts demanded freedom, to do as they were born to do, and they submitted to their control as they kissed, bit, and scratched until they were breathless, gasping, and needing more.

Dean growled and rutted against Castiel’s thigh as his fingers worked their way in between the Omega’s soaked ass cheeks. Dean pressed against his slick hole, feeling it flutter against his fingertips, before thrusting two in. The Alpha rumbled as Castiel’s back bowed off the bed in sheer pleasure.

“Does that feel good, my Omega?” Dean asked as he spread his fingers open, stretching Castiel, preparing him for their mating.

“So good,” came Castiel’s breathless reply as he swiveled his hips and took Dean’s fingers deeper into his body. “More,” the Omega cried out as the Alpha’s fingers struck his prostate.

“Anything for you, my Omega.” Dean gave Castiel one more kiss before he pushed up and sat back on his haunches. The Alpha added a third finger and watched in awe as his Omega’s body welcomed them. Dean pumped them in and out, making sure to crook them just right every so often to strike Castiel’s prostate. The Alpha’s cock hung hard and heavy between his legs, but he didn’t give a single thought to touching it; he was too lost in providing his Omega pleasure. The sight before him of his mate twisting in rapture against the sheets, his mouth open in a silent moan, and a fine sheen of sweat breaking out over his skin… well, Dean had never seen a more perfect sight. He slid his fingers in deep and teased Castiel’s prostate, loving the delicious sounds it drew from the Omega’s lips.

“Alpha!” Castiel cried out as his hole spasmed and soaked Dean’s hand with slick. The sweet smell of spiced peaches and vanilla hung heavy in the air and the Alpha’s could feel his cock twitch and drip precome. The Omega keened and gripped the bedsheet harder and he looked up at the Alpha with lust blown eyes.

Dean scented the air once more, the cloying scent making his mouth water. The Alpha licked his lips and spread Castiel’s legs wider as he dipped down for a taste. Dean couldn’t have stopped the groan that slipped past his lips, even if he’d wanted to. His Omega tasted better than he smelled. The Alpha licked broad stripes over Castiel’s fluttering hole before using his fingers to spread him open so he could slip his tongue in and lap at the Omega’s inner walls, drinking his juices straight from the source.

Castiel was quickly turning into a blissed out, incoherent mess under his Alpha’s ministrations. Dean’s upper body and hand, along with the bed beneath them, was soaked in slick. Their combined scents were thick in the space around them, ramping up their arousal. And after a few more nudges to Castiel’s prostate, the Omega began to beg.

“Dean, Alpha, _please_,” the Omega panted, reaching a hand down to twist in the Alpha’s hair. Dean slipped his fingers free from Castiel’s body and licked them clean before pushing up onto his knees. He took a moment to stare down at his soon to be mate, caressing his flesh with his keen, loving gaze. Castiel smiled up at him sweetly as his hand sought out Dean’s giving it a gentle squeeze. “Mate me, Dean. Claim me as yours.”

“Yes, my Omega,” Dean replied as he let go of Castiel’s hand and reached for his cock. Dean’s hissed at how sensitive he was as his fingers closed around the length. The Alpha slowly ran the head of his cock between Castiel’s ass cheeks, wetting it. The Omega laid there gazing up at the Alpha, his eyes lust blown and nearly black from arousal. Castiel spread his legs even wider, his own cock laying rock hard and dripping precome in a puddle on his stomach. He stared at the Alpha as Dean ran his hand up and down his thick cock tortuously slow, smearing it with his slick.

Castiel licked his lips in hunger as his eyes trailed up Dean’s body. The Alpha’s head was thrown back, eyes closed in ecstasy as he let out a low growl. The sight made the Omega moan and produce a fresh wave of slick. “I need you, Dean. I need you so bad, Alpha.”

Dean tapped Cas hip. “Roll over on your stomach, baby. Since it’s a mating knot, it will make it more comfortable in that position.” Mating knots could last up to two hours and Dean wanted Castiel to be as comfortable as possible as they waited it out.

Castiel nodded and gave Dean a kiss before complying. The Alpha rumbled low in his chest as he draped his body over the Omega’s, his cock slipping in between Castiel’s soaked thighs.

“Promise me,” Dean leaned down and whispered in the Omega’s ear, “promise me you want me as much as I want you, Castiel.”

“I promise,” Castiel whispered on a breathy sigh. “I want this more than anything.” He looked over his shoulder and met Dean’s sparkling green eyes. “I want you, Alpha, I have for a long time.”

Dean slipped his hand between their bodies and grasped the base of his cock, leading it to Castiel’s fluttering hole, slowly sliding it in until they were completely joined as one. Once Dean was bottomed out, he wrapped his arms around his soon to be mate and held their joined hands against Castiel’s chest. The Alpha could feel the fast pace of the Omega’s heart against the back of his hand.

“Your heartbeat is so fast,” Dean muttered as he soothingly kissed the side of Castiel’s throat. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Never,” Castiel responded as he nuzzled back against the Alpha. “There is nothing I want more than for you to claim me as your Omega. You are my happily ever after, Alpha.”

“And you are mine, my Omega,” Dean whispered lovingly as he rocked in and out of Castiel’s body languidly. The Alpha licked and nipped at Castiel’s sweat slick throat, his fingers pressing into Castiel’s chest to hold them close. “I love the way you taste.”

The Omega moaned as Dean’s cock nudged his prostate, sending waves of electric bliss throughout his entire body. His own cock twitched and spurted precome on the bed, adding to the mess of slick that already stained it. Castiel’s hands fell away from his chest and onto the bed for support, clenching and unclenching in the sheets as Dean _finally_ picked up the pace.

Castiel could feel the Alpha’s knot expanding, spreading him open wider as it popped in and out of his hole. “Alpha, Alpha, Alpha! Oh God, Alpha,” the Omega repeated the mantra as Dean’s knot tugged on his slick rim. The Alpha placed the palms of his hands over the back of Castiel’s, threading their fingers together as he rutted in and out of the Omega’s body until his knot swelled to completion and locked them together. Castiel keened loudly as he felt Dean’s hot release filling him, warm and wet, and perfectly plugged up deep inside his body. It felt wonderful, it felt like _finally_ being complete.

Dean jerked forward, moving deeper inside his Omega’s body, the head of his cock nudging Castiel’s prostate. The Omega gasped as his body shivered and he rocked his hips, rutting his hard cock against the bed.

“Cas,” Dean growled as he jerked forward again, sliding his hand down the Omega’s chest and gripping his throbbing cock. “Come for me, Omega,” he demanded as he stroked Castiel’s length.

“Alpha,” Cas keened as he spilled his release on Dean’s hand and the sheets. His body clenched the Alpha’s knot as he came in long thick bursts. Dean growled and pushed his hips forward, more seed pulsing from him as Castiel’s body milked his knot.

Dean moaned loudly, then surged forward, his teeth instinctually finding Castiel’s mating gland. He licked over the flesh once, then sank his teeth into the soft skin, blood rushing into his mouth. The taste made his inner Alpha howl in delight.

He laved his tongue over the bite as he withdrew, making sure it wasn't bleeding before he leaned forward, stretching his neck out to bare his throat for his Omega. “Now you,” Dean whispered.

“Gladly, Alpha,” Castiel replied as he pulled back and turned his head, nosing along Dean’s throat before finding that perfect spot and biting down hard, breaking skin and tasting blood on his tongue. The Omega licked his lips before asking, “How long?” He dropped his forehead against his arm as he tried to catch his breath. “How long will we remain tied?”

“Since it’s a mating knot I’m guessing a couple of hours,” Dean replied, equally as breathless as he moved them onto their sides, hissing when Cas’ rim tugged on his sensitive knot. He tried to shift them from the wet area on the bed so they wouldn’t get cold, and he reached behind him blindly for where the comforter had been shoved.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked as he pulled it up over Castiel’s shoulders, wrapping his arm around Castiel’s chest and holding him close. He nuzzled his nose against Castiel’s throat, breathing in deep.

“Very.” Castiel sighed contently. “What about you?”

“Couldn’t be more…” Dean paused and then snorted, leaning forward against Castiel’s ear to add, “_purrrrrrrrfect_.”

Dean felt rather than saw Castiel roll his eyes, but he smiled as a soft vibration started in his mate’s chest, a low purr as Castiel settled back. Dean held him tighter and closed his eyes, letting the sound comfort him to sleep.

  


“I’m starving,” Castiel said as he walked towards the dresser, Dean’s stomach giving a loud growl to show he was too. They had both fallen asleep, waking to find Dean’s knot had slipped free and made one hell of a mess. After stripping the bed, the couple hopped in the shower to wash up. “What time is it?” Castiel asked as he dropped his towel in exchange for a pair of sleep pants. He dug through his drawers to hand Dean a clean pair, tossing them to his mate.

“Little after eleven,” Dean answered with a wide yawn.

“How about we go and raid the fridge?” Castiel suggested as he wrapped his arms around Dean and placed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Get some fuel for round two.”

Dean nodded his head and laughed, kissing him back more soundly before taking a step back. “If you’re not too careful, we might end up doing round two right now.”

Castiel nuzzled at Dean’s throat. “I could maybe be persu-” the loud rumble of his stomach made him stop mid sentence and step back shaking his head. “Nope, food must come first.”

Dean chuckled and swatted Castiel’s ass, urging him forward. “Go on then, I just have to find my phone…” Dean located where his jeans had been kicked and he fished his phone from the back pocket, following after Castiel who was already in the kitchen with his head in the fridge.

Dean leaned against the island, taking a moment to study his mate’s ass, before he pulled up the text messages on his phone. Jo and Ash were on the early assignments tomorrow, so he sent a quick text to Kevin, asking if he was available to pick up a few lawns and to contact Jo. Then he sent a text to Charlie, telling her he wasn’t going to be in tomorrow and that he was ‘tied up’.

She immediately sent back an “OMGAWD DEAN WINCHESTER’ with more eggplant and squirting emojis than were necessary, ending with the stupid cat with heart eyes. If only she knew…

He didn’t grace her emoji meltdown with a response, and instead turned his phone off and put it on the counter behind him. As he turned around again, Castiel was standing with his hands full of things from the fridge and a sheepish expression on his face.

“Raid the fridge… you mean, the entire fridge.”

“Not the _entire_ fridge.” Castiel rolled his eyes as he placed a large tupperware container, a tub a butter, and a package of cheese on the island. “I have some leftover tomato rice soup from last night. I was going to make that and some grilled cheeses. But if you are gonna tease me,” he quirked a brow, “I will just leave you to fend for yourself.”

Dean scoffed and reached forward, sliding his arms around Castiel’s waist and plastering himself against his back. “You wouldn’t let an old, poor Alpha like me fend for himself, would you?” He pressed his nose to the back of Castiel’s neck and honest to God _whined_. “I will _starve_, Cas. I’ll be on your floor, unable to move, exhausted and falling apart, my stomach eating itself from the inside out and-”

“Okay, okay!” Castiel snorted and shook his head as he deadpanned, “Are you always this dramatic?”

Dean stuck his tongue out in response and then kissed Castiel’s cheek. “Grilled cheese and soup sound like _heaven_ right now.”

“Agreed,” Castiel replied as he retrieved a pot and pan from the cabinet beside the stove. He poured the soup in the pot and turned it on low to heat before turning and asking, “Can you hand me the bread from the bread box beside the microwave?”

“Of course,” Dean answered, pushing away from the island and finding the bread, He handed it over to Cas, but held on to the end, not giving it up until he received a kiss in exchange.

“Silly Alpha,” Castiel muttered under his breath as he opened the package. “One or two sandwiches?”

Dean thought about it for a minute, his stomach grumbling again and he laughed. “I suppose as much as my stomach is demanding four, two should suffice. Do you need any help, my Omega?”

“No, I got this. Just stand there, look pretty, and keep me company,” Castiel teased as he pulled out eight slices before closing it back and handing it to Dean to put away. He turned on the burner and as he waited for the pan to heat, he slathered the pieces of bread in butter. He assembled two and dropped them into the hot pan, listening to the butter sizzle as he spoke. “I will miss cooking in this kitchen.”

Dean hopped up onto the counter on the other side of the stove so that Castiel could cook and see him at the same time. Dean cocked his head to the side. “Wait… what do you mean?”

“We can’t live in separate houses now that we’re mated, Dean.” He gave his Alpha a small smile as he flipped the grilled cheeses. “And you’ve lived in that house since you moved out of your childhood home and I know you love it. I’ve only lived here for two years, and other than my kitchen, I’m not overly attached to this house.”

Dean leaned forward over the stove, and despite Castiel’s protests about him burning himself, kissed his mate softly. “Well, most of the stuff in this kitchen were things you renovated, right? We can renovate my kitchen, make it even better than this, and have it be a space that you love even more.”

“You are perfect, Dean Winchester. Now,” he shoved the Alpha’s shoulder playfully, “quit kissing me and let me cook.” Dean laughed and kissed Castiel again. “If these end up being burnt they are going to be yours.”

Dean shrugged but sat back anyways. “I would eat them. You made them for me, so burnt or not, they’re perfect!”

“God, I mated such a charmer,” Castiel teased with a grin as he removed the two grilled cheeses from the pan and set them on a paper plate. He gave the soup a quick stir before putting the last two sandwiches in the pan. “This will be done soon, why don’t you grab us some drinks. I want a Coke, feel free to help yourself to anything in there.”

Dean nodded and slid off the counter, heading to the fridge. On the way over, he saw a bag of chips sitting on the counter and he hesitated for a moment before grabbing it and carrying that over with two sodas.

He pulled out two of the stools and sat in one, waiting patiently for his mate to finish cooking. When Cas finally slid into the stool beside him, his own plate of grilled cheese ready to go, they shared a small smile and started to eat, their legs bumping into one another every few moments.

This, this was what Dean had been missing.

Despite it only being one day, and the shock of Castiel’s revelation of being a shifter, being new… everything about this felt right. Dean was comfortable, _happy_, and could easily picture this for the rest of his life. Despite most of his honest conversations about his feelings being with his mate in cat form, they were just that: honest. He wanted to grow old with the Omega beside him, wanted to watch him swell with their kits, to fall asleep beside him and wake up in his arms. He wanted everything the Omega could offer him and he would damn well make sure he was the best mate he could be in return.

As soon as they were done eating, Dean silently took care of their mess, shaking his head when Castiel moved to help. Then, he took Castiel’s hand and pulled him into his arms. He couldn’t explain in words how he felt, how happy and complete he felt. How he was already so in love with the man in his arms. But he could do the next best thing.

He could kiss his mate in the moonlight and look forward to tomorrow and every day after.

Everything, truly was, purrfect.


	4. The Purrfect Congratulations

**September 18th**  
**Cottonwood Falls, KS** \- _The eligible bachelor, Omega Castiel Novak, has officially been caught! Last June, the Omega put out an ad with a playful game to find the perfect Alpha to be his mate. After months of suitors hoping to get their hands on the key to Castiel’s heart and home, one Alpha Dean Winchester has made his official claim! The couple could not be happier!_

**May 12th**  
**Cottonwood Falls, KS** \- _Alpha Dean Winchester and Omega Castiel Winchester of Cottonwood Falls, Kansas are proud to announce the birth of their twins! Cameron Gabriel Winchester, born May 3th at 4:26 pm, weighing 7 pounds 3 oz and was 20 inches long and Ashleigh Rose Winchester, born May 3th at 4:32 pm, weighing 7 pounds 4 oz and was 19.5 inches long. _

_Omega Grandparents are Alpha Hannah Novak and Omega Chuck Novak of Pray, Montana. _

_Alpha Grandparents are Alpha John Winchester and Omega Mary Winchester of Lawrence, Kansas._

**November 20th**  
**Cottonwood Falls, KS** \- _Upon recent reports of fraud, tax evasion, and non-received services, Crowley’s Cut Above The Rest is officially out of business. The assets of Crowley’s have been seized and the owner, Fergus Crowley, has been arrested at this time, court date pending. _

_Simple Life Services has agreed to hire on a portion of the employees that found themselves without a job yesterday morning and owner Dean Winchester is seeking to fulfill contracts that are now not being filled._

Dean smiled as he taped the latest article into the scrapbook he’d started keeping after he and Castiel mated. He looked up to see Castiel smiling back at him fondly from the doorway, his arms crossed over his bulging stomach. 

“You okay?” Dean asked, pushing up off the ground and pulling out a chair for his heavily pregnant mate. “Do you need anything? Water? Tea? Are you hungry?” 

“Stop fussing, Dean. I’m fine. I just woke up and you weren’t there, so I came to find you.”

Dean nodded but made Castiel sit down anyways, as he closed the scrapbook and put it away. The Alpha grinned again and looked over his shoulder. “I put the article about Crowley in there.”

“Of course you did,” Castiel answered back, rolling his eyes. 

“This is a book about our lives, Cas! And that is a very, very important article to have. I will enjoy reading it every single time I open the book.” Dean beamed and laughed when his mate shook his head. He crossed the space between them, dipping down to kneel between Cas’ legs. His mate looked at him for a moment, then leaned forward and kissed him. 

“I can’t wait to put the next birth announcement in there, though,” Dean said softly, hands smoothing over Castiel’s stomach, kissing the swell just above his mate’s belly button. 

“Me either, Alpha,” Castiel answered back, placing his hand over his mate’s. “Me either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Fic was based on this prompt: The most wanted woman in town has announced that she’ll only marry the one that can open her front door with the key wrapped around her cats neck. Many men try to hunt the cat down, chase and trap it, but to no avail, the cat is simply too quick, smart and clever, and always finds a way to evade and avoid them.
> 
> You are the first to figure out the obvious: do not chase the cat. The cat is befriendable. Get the cat to trust you, to genuinely enjoy your company, and you can hang out with the cat. You may even be able to touch the cat. The cat freely let you take the key.
> 
> Secondary plot twist: The woman is a shapeshifter. She is the cat.
> 
> Thanks for reading our fic! Until next time guys... XOXOXO


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